Trials and Tribulations
by Hybryd0
Summary: (sequel to Easier to Run) slash The freed mutants are staying at the Institute. Friendships need mending and relationships repaired. There's tension between the newcomers and the X-men and New Mutants. Will things work out?
1. Characters

Alright. There's gonna be a lot of names and original characters in this story as well as the ones we know and love. Because I don't want anyone to get lost or confused I'm posting this first. Keep an eye on this because as Brody gains personalities I'm going to keep adding them.  
  
Brody-Voltaic-Electrokinesis 16  
Psycho-likes violence and fights-16  
Animal-focused on survival-16  
Child-scared, fearful-5  
Skeptic-cynical, sarcastic-17  
George-quiet, shy, one-way amnesic-30  
June-flirty, has a crush on Lance -18  
Walker-gothic punk, hates everyone and especially Kurt-20  
Ricky-loves Slipknot, Korn, and other hard rock bands, he tends to just ignore everyone-16 Neil-stuck up punk, refuses to believe he is a mutant and is disgusted by the other mutants-18  
Tracey-snide, rude, and hateful, not to mention slutty-25  
Jeff-funny, lovable, loves Kurt and is protective of Brody-16  
Toshi-honorable, quiet, believes he is a ninja-34  
Kana-can't speak English, thinks everyone is against him and is apt to attack whoever is near him-32  
Roisin-loves everyone, likes to glomp people and spread the love-50  
  
Kyran-Shadow Knight-controls his shadow, can use it as armor-20  
  
Cody-Venom-snake-like, deadly venom-15  
  
Chailyn-Tsunami-Hydrokinesis-16-blue hair-blue eyes  
  
Willy-Nemesis-eyes change with mood (black and white), true sight, sonic waves, cat DNA, healing, know things by touch, invisibility-13-black hair- green eyes  
  
Reece-Howler-blasts of energy from mouth-17-brown eyes-brown hair  
  
Taylon-Thrash-change into bull-15-red hair-green eyes  
  
Mick-Marauder-create weapons, armor, and shields from ambient energy-20- blond hair-blue eyes  
  
Jordan-Carnage-ditto-20-blond hair-blue eyes  
  
Luke-Firefight-Energy attacks-19-red hair-green eyes  
  
Adam-Tartarus-peak human strength, speed, endurance, and reflexes, project total sensory illusions that create a false reality around his opponent, conforming to their greatest fears and mental picture of hell-20-black hair- black eyes  
  
Matt-Hypnos-can put people to sleep if they look in his eyes (usually sleep for two hours)13-Brown hair-purple eyes  
  
Trenton-Morpheus-Can enter a person's dream and control it (place subconscious orders, give them nightmares, or give them bad dreams)12-brown hair-brown eyes  
  
Bryann-Sketcher-can use inanimate objects to bring his drawings to life-16- silver eyes-black hair  
  
Kale-Synth-can change the properties of any object he touches-17-Silvery grey hair-hazel eyes  
  
Jesse-Static-can create "noise" in peoples ears and minds that can distract and even cause unconsciousness, if he concentrates hard enough he can kill (gives himself headaches)-21-black hair-grey eyes  
  
Ian-Shift-can change his density, and gravity to fly-21-greenish blue hair- blue eyes  
  
Erik-Mercury-can become liquid metal and form himself into anything as well as slip through any crack-22-white eyes-dark gray hair  
  
Dominic-Myth-can change into mythic animals and people-14-blond hair-hazel eyes  
  
Jakob-Necro-he can commune with the dead, channel dead spirits, see ghosts- 14-black hair-red eyes 


	2. Chapter 1

To have a good friend is one of the highest delights of life; to be a good friend is one of the noblest and most difficult undertakings.--Unkown  
  
The truest help we can rend an afflicted man is not to take his burden from him, but to call out his best energy, that he may be able to bear the burden.--Phillips Brooks  
  
The firmest friendships have been formed in mutual adversity, as iron is most strongly united by the fiercest flame.--Charles Caleb Colton  
  
////  
  
Scott slipped out of his room and into the hall as quietly as he could. It had been a few weeks since all the new mutants had come to the institute. He found it difficult to keep up with all the new people and sometimes with his duties as the leader. He was no longer the oldest student at the institute and it was sometimes hard to keep the older mutants in line. His job was only made harder as the fifteen mutants were a team with Kyran, Brody, and Cody and they were under Kyran's leadership.  
  
Kyran and Scott had never got along. Their rivalry was worse than Scott and Lance's was and that was saying a lot. Kyran thought Scott was Xavier's little puppet, too uptight, and too much of an asshole. Scott thought Kyran was too cocky, too irresponsible, and definitely not fit to be the leader of a team. Neither had ever seen eye to eye and Scott wasn't exactly sure they ever would.  
  
But, strangely, no one could make Scott think more than Kyran could. Every fight with the older boy seemed to end with Scott left contemplating the other boy's words. Even Jean never had the same affect on Scott that Kyran did. It was clear the older boy was a lot smarter than most people thought. Which was why he was losing sleep. Kyran's words would haunt him even as he tried to sleep.  
  
So, Scott gave up trying to sleep and instead went to the kitchen for an early breakfast. No one else was up as it was a Saturday morning and everyone tended to sleep in. That gave him plenty of time to eat and think about his latest argument with Kyran the night before.  
  
"You're not as good of a leader as you think you are." Kyran had snarled in front of a room full of the younger mutants. "You think failure is unacceptable. You can't fail. Well let me tell you something. The true sign of a leader is one that can accept failure, teach his people to accept failure, and together grow stronger."  
  
Scott hadn't said anything in response. What could he say? He'd been furious and embarrassed. He was supposed to be an example to the younger mutants and there he was getting shot down in front of them. The urge to blast a hole through Kyran's head had been great, but Jean had mentally scolded him.  
  
Hours later he was thinking about what his rival said to him. At the time he had been too angry and too embarrassed to think about it. But the more he did think about it the more he knew it was true. He'd never thought about it before, but he knew it was true. He wouldn't, couldn't accept failure of any kind. When they had failed for the first time against the Brotherhood after Kyran joined he'd lectured the team for hours. When they failed the second time everyone had extra Danger Room practice, but things never got any better. They never accepted failure and therefore never learned from it and never grew stronger.  
  
"I hate that kid sometimes."  
  
"Hate is a strong word Scott."  
  
Scott looked around behind him to see Ororo there. He smiled sheepishly. "I hope I didn't wake you."  
  
"No, this is about the time I usually wake up." Ororo replied. "You however, should still be asleep."  
  
"I can't." Scott replied. "I haven't been able to sleep since Kyran moved in."  
  
"His words bother you."  
  
"I think he hates me, but at the same time he keeps telling me things that make me think. Like he's trying to help in some weird way." Scott said. "He's more infuriating than Lance and more confusing than Pietro when he's talking fast."  
  
"Maybe he is trying to help you." Ororo said. "Would you listen to him if he told you in a different way?"  
  
"I listen to Jean and she doesn't--."  
  
"She often has a hard time getting her point across to you."  
  
Scott frowned and looked down at the cereal he had fixed for himself while talking to Ororo. He hated to admit it, but she was right. He often didn't get the point of Jean's lectures or even her often-meaningful looks until something happened to pound them into his mind. Maybe that was why Kyran took a completely different approach to it, by totally bypassing the friendly advice and getting right to being upfront and insulting.  
  
"I guess you're right." He sighed. "I just hate how he gets under my skin and into my head. Worst of all he's not the only one of them that does it."  
  
"Yes, Adam is quite observant and intuitive." Ororo said.  
  
Scott rolled his eyes. "He's a cynical guy that only sees the worst in people."  
  
"Maybe that's because that is all he's ever seen."  
  
"He still could be a little more respectful of others' feelings." Scott grumbled. "I just don't like it. I don't like how they get away with the things they do just because they were locked up in some kind of prison for half their lives."  
  
Ororo frowned. "Scott, some of those kids are just seeing the rest of the world for the first time they can remember. Some of them don't know proper etiquette and manners."  
  
"Then shouldn't someone be teaching them that?"  
  
"Perhaps, but I think experience will be the best teacher."  
  
"I'm not so sure they want to learn."  
  
"I don't think it's your place to judge them like that."  
  
Scott sighed. "No, I suppose it's not."  
  
Scott started eating his cereal and continued thinking. Ororo went about starting a large breakfast for the rest of the house. Everything went silent...for all of six seconds. Then all hell broke loose as all eighteen of the new mutant team appeared out of nowhere. Scott watched in shocked awe as the four youngest turned on the TV for early morning cartoons. The six oldest mutants went straight for the kitchen and the coffee within. While the remaining six spilt up to do different things.  
  
"How can you all be up already?" Scott asked Taylon as the younger kid settled in to a seat beside him. There was a bowl of Lucky Charms in front of him.  
  
"The day always started early." Taylon replied simply. "Fights, training, experiments, it all started around seven in the morning."  
  
"It's only five thirty."  
  
Taylon shrugged. "Sleeping until the exact time the guards came and got you wasn't exactly a pleasant thing. Everyone woke up early."  
  
The tone of Taylon's voice clearly told Scott not to ask anything about the Facility. It was a touchy subject with all of them. Only the oldest six were able to talk about it. After witnessing the conditions in which they had lived Scott couldn't blame them.  
  
"What has you up so early Goggles?"  
  
Scott mentally groaned at Kyran's nickname for him. The older boy knew how much it bugged Scott, knew that he hated it. Scott had told him over and over again not to call him that, but the only response he would get was a little smirk that told him Kyran wasn't going to stop any time soon. And it bugged Scott that there were few things he could do or say in response. It was hard to ruffle Kyran's feathers without insulting someone else.  
  
"None of your business."  
  
Kyran smirked but didn't press the matter. "So, when's Danger Room practice?"  
  
"Two hours." Scott replied curtly.  
  
"Just to let you know then, Brody won't be participating."  
  
"And why is that? He needs to recover his strength."  
  
"The Professor has decided he's curious about Brody's multiple personalities and Brody has agreed to a session or something like that." Kyran explained. "So that's one less Hellraiser to kick your asses."  
  
"Overconfident much?" Scott grumbled.  
  
"Nah, I just know we're good."  
  
"No, you are an overconfident, cocky bastard, but we love you anyway." Taylon spoke up. He squealed as Kyran grabbed him in a headlock and ruffled his bright red hair.  
  
"Speak for yourself bull boy." Adam said as he took a seat at the table as well.  
  
Kyran rolled his eyes. "Yes Adam, we know you only love yourself."  
  
Adam rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything in his defense. He didn't really care what the others thought about him. He let them have their assumptions about what he thought and what he was really like. Deep down he knew the truth and that's what really mattered.  
  
BAMF!  
  
"Morning Kurt." Was heard from the kitchen just seconds after the sound of the teleporter making his appearance.  
  
"How can you all get up this early?"  
  
Scott smiled to himself as he heard his younger friend ask the same question he had only moments earlier. He returned to eating his bowl of cereal and thinking about what he wanted to do for the rest of the day. There was of course the Danger Room session that was scheduled for all three teams, those three being the X-men, New Mutants, and Hellraisers. After that he didn't have anything else planned and didn't really feel like spending his whole day wondering around doing nothing.  
  
"Hey, um...Scott?" The soft voice startled the teenager out of his thoughts.  
  
"Yeah?" Scott asked, looking over at the speaker. He smiled when he saw it was one of the youngest Hellraisers, Jakob.  
  
"Um, Matt and I were wondering if...you'd...um...teach us how to play basketball."  
  
Scott regarded the younger boy with a slightly surprised expression. He hadn't exactly been expecting that kind of question from Jakob. Well, it looked like he found what he was going to be doing for the day.  
  
"Sure, after the Danger Room today." Scott replied.  
  
A grin broke out across the usually solemn little boy's face. With a whoop of joy Jakob turned and darted back to the living room to tell the rest of the younger mutants about the basketball lessons. Scott smiled as he heard the excited chattering of the boys.  
  
"That's awful nice of you."  
  
Scott looked up at Kyran. "Yeah, well, I'm just surprised he didn't ask you."  
  
"Well, it's not like any of us really know how to play basketball any better than the kids." Kyran replied. "I know the basics, Erik can play a little, but there wasn't exactly a basketball court at the Facility."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"So," Kyran paused and looked as if what he was about to say was going to physically hurt. "I appreciate you teaching them."  
  
"Oh, that had to hurt." Adam quipped.  
  
SPLAT!  
  
There was a moment of stunned silence as it took Adam a moment to realize what had happened. When he did, his temper flared.  
  
"You did not just fling a spoon full of cereal at me." The illusionist snarled.  
  
"And what if I did?" Kyran growled. Shadow appeared beside him in a heartbeat.  
  
"Here we go again." Taylon groaned.  
  
Scott rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses and watched as Kyran tackled Adam and the two began wrestling in the middle of the dinning room. He turned his attention back to his cereal and sighed. I'm never going to get any peace around here anymore. He thought.  
  
CRASH!  
  
"Asshole!"  
  
"Prick!"  
  
"It's amazing you guys can even function as a team." Kurt commented as he joined the small group at the table. Brody soon joined him, both boys eating cereal like the rest of the group.  
  
Taylon shrugged. "Adam knows when to shut up and take orders."  
  
"Loser!"  
  
"Jackass!"  
  
CRASH!  
  
"Boys!" Ororo shouted from the kitchen.  
  
The wrestling match stopped. Kyran looked down at Adam while the slightly younger boy looked right back at him. There was a silent agreement and the two quickly got to their feet and took off with Kyran's shadow in close pursuit. Behind them was Ororo, who was trying to scold them. The boys in the dinning room laughed as they heard the sounds of a severe chewing out as Ororo cornered the two young men.  
  
Taylon snickered. "Some things will never change." 


	3. Chapter 2

Brody shifted nervously in his seat as he faced Professor Xavier. He was nervous about actually having to talk about his personalities and what it was like having them. What had sparked the Professor's curiosity was beyond him, but Brody wasn't thrilled about the situation. He didn't want to tell the Professor that he was starting to have more and more trouble controlling and keeping the other personalities at bay. He especially didn't want to mention that he was sure he had at least eight subpersonalities and that more were emerging each week in groups of twos and threes.  
  
"How are you feeling this morning Brody?" Xavier questioned, finally breaking the silence that had shrouded the room.  
  
"Still weak, a little tired, but otherwise okay." Brody replied.  
  
*You forgot pathetically disgusting. How could you stand to sleep in the same bed with that...thing? It's all furry and...yuck!* Tracey, one of Brody's newest subpersonalities, snapped. He found it a little disturbing that he was starting to get female personalities. He had two and had a bad feeling he was going to get more.  
  
Brody shifted in his seat and sighed. "Professor, are you able to hear what's going on in my head?"  
  
"I try not to read into other's thoughts unless necessary." Xavier replied.  
  
*He does! That fucker listens in to everything!* Walker, another new personality, exclaimed fiercely.  
  
*Then I suppose he just heard you call him a fucker.* Skeptic commented.  
  
*Like I give a fuck.*  
  
"I have to admit, I've never dealt with someone with multiple personality disorder." The Professor said. "I'm actually quite curious."  
  
Brody mentally yelled for all his personalities to shut up. Psycho and Walker simultaneously told him to fuck off, but all fell silent anyway.  
  
"It's not all that interesting Professor." Brody commented. "I've done some reading about it to try and understand it myself."  
  
"And what have you learned?"  
  
"Well," Brody paused and thought for a moment. "I learned that most people with the disorder have at least thirteen or fourteen subpersonalities, not including the primary."  
  
"How many do you have at this time?" Xavier asked.  
  
"Around eight, maybe more." Brody said. "See, the thing about the personalities is there generally can be three kinds of relationships between the personalities. The first is mutually amnesic in which the personalities have no awareness of each other. None of my personalities are that way." He paused for a moment to let the older man absorb that information. "The second is mutually cognizant, each personality is aware of the others. They may even speak with each other. Most of my personalities are this way." He paused again. "The last is one-way amnesic in which a personality may be aware of the others, but they don't know about him. If I have any of this kind there's really no way for me to know."  
  
Xavier mulled over this bit of information. He thought to himself that he really should have done a little reading on the subject as well. All the information the young boy was giving him was information he really should have known before their little meeting. He made a mental note to himself to do some research on his own so that in the next meeting he would be more informed.  
  
"That means you could have more than eight personalities." Xavier commented.  
  
"Professor, theoretically I could have hundreds of personalities that I don't know about." Brody replied. "I could have hundreds more waiting to appear. There have been cases of people with hundreds of subpersonalities."  
  
Xavier had to think about that for a moment. The thought hadn't occurred to him that the young boy could have that number of personalities. Eight sounded tame compared to the possible hundreds. Those numbers of personalities could cause a huge problem for one's psyche. How could the boy hold on to any sense of "self" if he had more than one "self" to begin with.  
  
"Brody, have you consider treatment for this disorder?" Xavier questioned.  
  
The boy frowned. Unexpectedly he snarled and dug his fists into his temples. He grumbled something that was quite unrepeatable and gave Xavier the urge to repeat the no cussing rule of the Institute. Except, his thoughts were cut off as the boy sat up straight again and the Professor got the clear feeling that he was no longer dealing with Brody, but rather one of the subpersonalities. And a highly unfriendly one it seemed.  
  
"What are you looking at baldy?" The boy snarled.  
  
Xavier blinked and repressed the urge to scan the boy's mind. "May I ask who I'm talking to?"  
  
"I'm Walker, not that it's any of your fuckin' business pal." Fangs were bared in an aggressive snarl.  
  
"Walker, I'm not sure if you're aware, but there is a no cursing rule." Xavier said firmly.  
  
"Fuck you and your rules." Walker snapped. "I ain't your fuckin' pet man. I do what I fuckin' please."  
  
*Walker no! You'll get us kicked out of here!* Brody argued with the aggressive personality.  
  
*Fuck this place.* Walker snapped.  
  
*Fuck everything, right? You're like, such a pig.* June, the other female personality, snapped.  
  
*You're a fuckin' slut.*  
  
*Asshole.*  
  
*Whore.*  
  
*SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!!* Psycho roared. *If I wasn't already crazy you'd certainly drive me there!*  
  
Walker placed a sneer on his face and glared at Xavier with something akin to hate in his eyes. Xavier got a feeling that this personality probably hated everyone. He studied the boy, surprised at how much his whole body language changed when the other personality took over.  
  
"Walker, can you tell me about yourself? What makes you different from Brody?" Xavier questioned. He cringed to himself, waiting for the inevitable cussing.  
  
"I ain't a fuckin' pussy." Walker replied. "I hate his music, I hate his friends, and I especially hate his furry ass boyfriend. Most of all, I hate this fuckin' place."  
  
Not off to a good start. Xavier concluded with a sigh. Obviously Walker was not going to be very helpful.  
  
"Walker--." Xavier was cut off as Walker snarled again.  
  
Pain riddled the boy's face. He curled over in his seat and swore viciously. Xavier wondered if it really did physically hurt when the personalities switched. He didn't get a chance to ponder the thought as the boy sat up in his seat again. Xavier was still sure he wasn't dealing with the primary personality, Brody.  
  
"Not Walker, or Brody if you're wondering." The boy said. Xavier blinked at the noticeable voice change. Was this personality female?  
  
"Who are you then? Tell me about yourself." Xavier urged.  
  
"My name's, like, June. I'm an 18 year old young woman. I like shopping and grabbing cute boys' asses."  
  
"No cussing." Xavier said off handedly.  
  
"Sorry. It's, like, so hard not to cuss when I'm around it so much." June said. "Walker is like, such a fucking dick."  
  
"Language."  
  
"Sorry."  
  
*Slut.* Walker hissed.  
  
*Don't start that again.* Brody begged.  
  
*Fuck you.*  
  
Xavier sighed to himself. He was beginning to realize the sessions were going to be a lot more work than he had anticipated. He hadn't really expected having to deal with an anti-social and hateful personality, not to mention the female. There was so much more to learn than he thought.  
  
"June, did it hurt when you took over?" Xavier questioned.  
  
"No, why?"  
  
"Because both times there has been a personality change there has been a pained look and a lot of cussing that goes with it."  
  
June shrugged, absently. "Beats me. It's, like, not something we control, y'know?"  
  
"I see." Xavier couldn't help but feel like he was having a conversation with Kitty. "So--."  
  
There was another growl, more cussing, and another switch of personality before Xavier could finish his sentence. He blinked in surprise, though hid the emotion from his face. His first real experience with multiple personality disorder was shaping up to be very memorable.  
  
"Brody?"  
  
No, that's not right. Xavier mentally caught himself. There was still something different about the boy. The young mutant was sitting abnormally straight in his seat and his eyes held a kind of wisdom. He could tell this personality was older than any of the ones he had already met.  
  
"No, my name is Toshi. I am a master of Ninjitsu."  
  
Not for the first time in the past ten minutes Xavier was surprised. The other personalities had obviously been American, but the new one was obviously Japanese. Not only was he Japanese, but he was a ninja. More than that, this personality was obviously much older than the others.  
  
"You are the Professor for Brody-kun?" Toshi asked respectfully.  
  
"Yes." Xavier marveled at how Brody's voice even changed to sound Japanese.  
  
"I have important thing to tell you." The Japanese personality said. "I must warn you of Kana. I am the only one that knows of him."  
  
"Who is Kana?"  
  
"Kana is my brother. He does not speak English. He is violent, dishonorable." Toshi said. "You must be careful. He is a master of Ninjitsu and very dangerous."  
  
"Thank you for the warning Toshi." Xavier said.  
  
"You are most welcome. I only wish there was more I could do."  
  
"You've done more than you had to."  
  
And then there was another change of personality. Xavier watched carefully, wondering if he was going to deal with another personality or if Brody was going to return. The boy sat up straight and gave Xavier a very tired, worn out look.  
  
"Professor, may I go? I'm tired."  
  
Xavier sighed in relief. It was Brody again, or a very Brody-like personality. "Yes, I think we've both had enough for today."  
  
"Try living with that 24/7." Brody commented. He slid out of the chair and quickly made his way out of the room.  
  
Xavier watched him go. He felt a certain amount of newfound respect for the boy. Anyone who went through that daily deserved it. 


	4. Chapter 3

At the same time Professor Xavier was having his session with Brody, Logan was watching over the Danger Room practice. Beside him Matt, Trenton, and Bryann were also watching. The three youngsters had powers that wouldn't be helpful in the mission as well as the numbers would have been uneven if they did participate.  
  
In the Danger Room a tournament had been going on for an hour already. It was the New Mutants and X-men against the Hellraisers in a tournament. Eliminations occurred when one of the fighters was knocked off the small platform, surrendered, or just plain knocked unconscious. It all seemed like a bad rip off of Mortal Kombat, without the death.  
  
Kyran smirked as he watched the fight in progress. It was Kurt versus Ian. Things weren't looking too good for the blue furred mutant. In fact, Kyran noticed that while Kurt was growling in annoyance, Ian was laughing as if he was having the time of his life. Kurt couldn't even hit the older boy as the Australian would even phase through an attack or float above it.  
  
"C'mon Nightcrawler!" Kurt's teammates urged.  
  
At the same time Ian's team watched in silence. It was something that had been ingrained in them from the Facility. When watching one of their teammates fight they had just learned to be quiet so as not to draw more attention to themselves. It was some kind of survival instinct they had that they just couldn't lose.  
  
Ian watched as Kurt flipped to his feet, a cocky grin crossing the Australian boy's face. He knew he was good, untouchable in fact. His fight with Kurt was merely for entertainment as he could end it at any point. In .05 seconds his body could go from being hardly there to being as dense and impenetrable as Adamantium.  
  
"C'mon mate, just surrender so I don't have to hurt ya." Ian said.  
  
"Grrrr!"  
  
BAMF!  
  
WHUMP!  
  
Thump.  
  
"Ouch, bet that hurt." Bobby mumbled.  
  
Ian knelt down and checked on his opponent. When Kurt had ported behind him and tried to jump him his first instinct had been to make himself as dense as possible. The sound of Kurt's impact with his body had sounded painful and he was worried he may have seriously injured the younger boy. He was relieved to find the teen was just knocked unconscious.  
  
"Winner by K.O, Shift!" Matt announced from the control booth. Logan was watching the four boys as they took turns announcing the winners of the fights and who was facing who next from a list Logan had wrote up.  
  
"Next is...Jean Grey VS Tartarus." Bryann announced.  
  
Adam smirked at Jean as the two of them got onto the small platform. He planned on living up to his codename and make her run screaming to Scott's arms. He enjoyed scaring the life out of people with his all too real illusions. Without thinking about it he always knew what other people feared. From their little fears about being laughed at to the most terrifying things. And nothing gave him greater pleasure than using that against them.  
  
"Fight!" Bryann exclaimed through the intercom.  
  
"So Jean, your telekinesis is pretty powerful, but can you use it when you can't see your opponent?" Adam asked tauntingly.  
  
Jean was just about to 'push' the arrogant boy off the platform when suddenly the world shifted and changed. She was no longer in the Danger Room. For all she could tell she was in a dark, barren place. Miles away she could see Scott with his visor off, crucified on a cross, and the worst part were the knives floating in front of him.  
  
"Scott, no!!!" Jean shouted.  
  
She took off running toward the distant cross in a desperate attempt to save her friend. She nearly cried when one of the sharp objects, a knife, flew forward toward Scott's stomach. Jean pointed at the knife and tried to stop it, but the weapon kept going, right through Scott's flesh. At that she did cry, surprised and horrified by the sight of blood staining Scott's once pure white shirt.  
  
"Can't save him, can ya?" A distant voice taunted.  
  
"Yes I can! I have to save him!" Jean yelled back.  
  
"You're not good enough." The voice taunted.  
  
Another knife flew forward and again Jean tried to 'throw' it in a different direction. It didn't work and the knife still sliced clean through Scott's thigh. His pained scream brought tears to Jean's eyes. She realized she really couldn't do it. She really wasn't strong enough.  
  
"Give up Jean Grey. You can't save your precious boy." The voice said. "You've lost. Give up."  
  
"No, I have to save him." Jean cried.  
  
A taunting laugh followed. "Your powers aren't good enough. Just give up."  
  
"No!"  
  
She heard a distant growl of annoyance and then six of the knives flew forward. She could hear Scott's in take of breath and frightened whimpering. As with the last two times she tried to use her telekinesis to alter the course of the deadly weapons, but as before there was nothing she could do. She watched with tear filled eyes as one knife pierced Scott's shoulder. Another tore through his other thigh and a third sliced the boy's cheek open, while a fourth embedded in the wood right below a very sensitive part of Scott's anatomy. The fifth knife cut off a finger, but the sixth is what did the damage. The sixth knife pierced Scott's lung with a sick sound that made Jean's stomach twist.  
  
"Scott!!!!!"  
  
Jean dropped to her knees and sobbed out loud as the crucified Scott began coughing up blood. She could barely hear his wheezing breath over the sound of her own crying. When she looked up her eyes locked with Scott's and that's when she realized he wasn't wearing his visor. Her sob turned into a gasp of shock as she realized something for the first time. She couldn't hear or feel anyone. Normally she could at least feel the others, she could hear thoughts being projected.  
  
Adam watched Jean crumpled on the ground with a smirk of satisfaction on his face. He knew he was merely moments away from getting her to surrender.  
  
"He's dying now Jean. You couldn't save him and you still can't. Just give up." Adam coaxed mockingly.  
  
"I don't have to save him." Jean said, her voice suddenly sounding strong. Strong and angry. "Because this isn't real!"  
  
Adam gasped in shock as Jean instinctively threw her arm out to where she had last seen him. He realized too late that he hadn't moved from his starting place. He had only enough time to yelp before he felt like he'd been punched in the head. The force of the telekinetic punch threw him backward and right off the platform.  
  
"Winner by knocking her opponent off the platform, Jean Grey!" Jamie announced.  
  
Jean shakily made her way off the platform and was immediately enveloped in a hug from Scott. It was just a friendly comforting hug as everyone had heard her desperate shouts as well as Adam's disgusting taunting. She hugged him tightly, crying into his chest as the sheer emotion of what she had seen caught up with her.  
  
"Do you want us to stop?" Scott asked softly.  
  
Jean shook her head. "No-no, keep going. I'll be okay."  
  
Meanwhile, Kyran confronted Adam as the illusionist got to his feet. "You asshole! You can project any kind of illusion with your power. Why do you insist on trying to hurt everyone?"  
  
"Oh lay off Kyran! No one was hurt." Adam snapped, rubbing his head.  
  
"You're a fucking prick, y'know that? One of these days you're going to regret hurting everyone like you do."  
  
Adam rolled his eyes. "Yes daddy."  
  
"Ahem." The Danger Room went silent at the sound of Logan's voice. "If no one is hurt continue with the fights."  
  
"Rogue VS Nemesis." Jamie announced.  
  
"Isn't he too young to fight?" Rogue asked.  
  
"You obviously haven't paid much attention to him." Kyran replied. "I know I'm not your leader or anything, but listen to me when I tell you not to underestimate him, or any of us."  
  
"I'll make sure I don't." Rogue said, rolling her eyes.  
  
As tough as Rogue was she learned her lesson real quick. Trenton had no sooner said the word fight than Willy disappeared from sight. She took a tentative step forward and gasped when her feet were kicked out from under her. Rogue hit the ground and then flipped back to her feet. She looked desperately for her foe, but Willy was still invisible. Irritation boiled up inside her as she knew there was no way to fight an invisible foe, not when her teammates were making such a racket that she couldn't hear anything. She started to take a step backward when a peel of thunder cracked through the air and Rogue was knocked into the air and off the platform by the shockwave.  
  
"Winner by knocking his opponent off the platform, Nemesis!" Matt announced.  
  
The next fight was Bobby versus Erik. That fight didn't last long either. Erik melted into his liquid form and then reformed into a liquid metal tiger, but he failed to remember Bobby's power. As the tiger made a leap Bobby iced the ground while moving out of the way. Erik's feet hit the ice and even as he dug his claws into the ice he still went sliding right off the platform.  
  
Ray versus Jesse was real quick. As soon as the word fight left Jamie's mouth Jesse hit Ray with a full blast of static right into the younger mutant's mind. Ray passed out within a few minutes and the rest of the room was left wincing.  
  
Finally it came down to the last fight. It was the fight to determine which team would win the tournament. And as everyone expected from the beginning it was down to Kyran versus Scott. Everyone was looking for it to be a real blood bath as the two rivals finally got a hold of each other.  
  
"Alright guys, we want a fair fight. No biting, clawing, hair--."  
  
"Jamie." Logan growled.  
  
"Fight!"  
  
Instantly Kyran was covered in his shadow armor, much to Scott's displeasure. That meant, as long as Kyran had himself braced, Scott's optic blasts really wouldn't do any good. No one knew yet what the weakness in Kyran's armor was, though all of his teammates insisted there was one, not even they knew. It was Kyran's most closely guarded secret.  
  
"C'mon then Goggles. This is round...five?" Kyran taunted. "Think you'll ever win one?"  
  
"Cocky bastard." Scott grumbled.  
  
The two opponents eyed each other, both hoping to find some kind of quick solution. Scott realized real quickly that all he had to do to win was blast the platform under Kyran's feet. However, he didn't want the fight to end like that. He knew he wasn't always going to have that advantage against Kyran and if they ever became enemies again he wanted to know what he could do against the older boy.  
  
So, the fight came down to a good old-fashioned brawl. Unfortunately for Scott it was like punching a brick wall. The fight wasn't doing him any good. He could feel he had a swollen lip and a bruised jaw already. Worse than that was the fact that Kyran was very slowly backing him toward the edge of the platform.  
  
Scott wasn't going to let himself get beat. He didn't want to give Kyran something more to brag about. He knew if he let the shadow wielder win then he would never hear the end of it. Kyran would gloat and rub it in his face in front of everyone.  
  
"I though you were tougher than this Goggles." Kyran taunted.  
  
Kyran went for a round house kick and that's when Scott let loose an optic blast. The force of the blow not only surprised Kyran, but seeing as how one foot was in the air for a kick, it sent the older boy tumbling. Kyran managed to dig a shadow claw into the platform just before he went over the side. He grunted and tried to pull himself back up, but he was slipping. So, he formed the back of his armor into wings and flew back up onto the platform. He was met with an irritated Cyclops.  
  
"Miss me?" Kyran asked.  
  
"Cocky b--."  
  
"Yeah, everyone knows I'm a cocky bastard. Now why don't you teach me a lesson Goggles?"  
  
"Gladly." Scott growled. "Why don't you ditch the armor and fight fair?"  
  
"Only if you won't use those optic blasts of yours."  
  
"Fine."  
  
Kyran dropped his armor and told his shadow to stay out of it. That's when the fight got real dirty. Scott knew he was going to have a few bruised ribs. Kyran was sure he was going to have a black eye, but that didn't stop the fight from getting rougher. The two rivals were going at it as if they were still on different sides. It was getting bloody and brutal before something finally happened.  
  
Kyran sent Scott tumbling with a viscous kick. He leapt to follow with another kick when Scott instinctively shot him with an optic blast. The force knocked the breath and the sense out of Kyran and sent him flying over the side of the platform. It was a good thing the platform wasn't high up as Kyran landed with most of his weight on his shoulders and neck.  
  
Instantly Kyran's team was at their leader's side, checking to make sure he was okay. They were all relieved that other than a headache and being a little bloodied from the fight he was fine. Adam and Erik helped him to his feet as the X-men and New Mutants joined them.  
  
Kyran looked up at Scott who was still on the platform. "I'm not a sore loser Scott, but we made a deal. I'm sorry you feel you have to play dirty in order to beat me."  
  
"Yeah, that wasn't cool Summers." Erik growled.  
  
"I didn't mean to." Scott said defensively.  
  
Kyran narrowed his eyes. "Next time I won't make the mistake of trusting you."  
  
In the control room Logan sighed as he watched the Hellraisers leave the room. He realized pretty quickly that things between the Hellraisers and the New Mutants and X-men were only getting worse. He knew something would have to be done before the conflict tore the Institute apart. 


	5. Chapter 4

Evan was making his way to his room to grab his skateboard. With the Danger Room session out of the way he was ready to have fun the rest of the day. He was just getting to the elevator when he heard someone crying down the hall. He paused and looked toward the sound of the crying and saw someone curled up in the shadows. He turned and started toward the person, concern knotting in his stomach.  
  
"Hey, who's there?" He called.  
  
Evan nearly jumped in surprise as two ruby red eyes looked up at him. He paused mid step and watched as the person seemed to curl further into the shadows, as if trying to hide.  
  
"Who's there?"  
  
Getting no reply Evan walked over to the curled up figure. He knelt down and started to reach a hand out, but jerked back at a frightened whimper. Up close he finally recognized the identity of the person crying.  
  
"Jakob?"  
  
"Make them go away...someone make them go away." Jakob whimpered.  
  
Evan frowned. "Make who go away?"  
  
"Them."  
  
Evan frowned deeper, but then he remembered what Jakob's ability was. Jakob could see and communicate with the dead not to mention channel dead spirits. It was also believed he could bring the dead back to life, but no one had seen him do it.  
  
These thoughts sent a chill down Evan's spine that made the boy squirm in discomfort. He particularly didn't care for talking with the dead or even believing that the dead hung around so someone could talk to them, or see them for that matter. Ghosts were a boyhood fear of his, though he'd never admit it to anyone. There was only one person who knew and that person would never tell because he was afraid of ghosts as well.  
  
"I can't make them go away man, but how about you go away from them?" Evan suggested. Away sounded like a good idea to him.  
  
"They follow. They follow me everywhere." Jakob murmured fearfully. "Everywhere."  
  
This kid is gonna have serious mental problems. Evan thought to himself. "C'mon Jakob, is there anyplace they can't follow you?"  
  
"Outside, they died in the mansion...can't go outside." Jakob replied softly.  
  
This is useful knowledge. Evan thought. He offered his hand to Jakob along with an encouraging smile.  
  
Jakob looked up at Evan's hand, squinting for a moment to make sure that the older boy was alive and not dead. He easily recognized the purple aura around Evan as to mean a living mutant. However, the little girl that was bent down beside Evan's feet had a blue aura, meaning she was a dead human. His heart thumped in his throat as she reached for him.  
  
And then he saw a dead male human walking up behind Evan. Jakob felt the strong urge to protect his friend and get him out of danger. He grabbed Evan's hand and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet before he shoved both of them toward the elevator.  
  
"Go, go, go." Jakob urged softly.  
  
Evan didn't need any encouragement. The way the boy was acting made him think the ghosts were following behind and that was a sure fire way to get him to go faster. He followed Jakob into the elevator and sighed as the doors slid shut. He relaxed...until a thought hit him.  
  
"Jakob...can ghosts walk through walls and stuff?" Evan asked.  
  
The grip on the skateboarder's hand tightened. "Y-yes."  
  
Shit. Oh shit. Wouldn't Pietro love this. Evan thought to himself. He mentally smirked at the thought of his once friend turned rival being in a haunted mansion. They had watched a horror flick together when they were real young and had been scared witless by it. He had never overcome that fear and he seriously doubted Pietro had either.  
  
"Are there any ghosts in here?" Evan asked, somehow keeping his voice steady.  
  
Jakob looked fearfully at the man with the blue aura that was scowling at them both. He was grumbling about something or other, but Jakob was trying not to listen. Jakob could tell Evan was possibly even more scared of the ghosts than he was and decided not to tell him about the one in the elevator with them.  
  
"No."  
  
"What do you mean no? I'm standing right in front of you. Don't lie young man." The ghost scolded.  
  
When the elevator stopped at the right level Jakob jerked Evan out with him and took off running toward the front doors. Evan gladly matched the younger boy's pace as he was just as eager to get away from any ghosts inside. When the two finally burst outside they collapsed on the grass to recover from the exertion.  
  
"Man...I...I don't think I'll ever be able to sleep in there again." Evan gasped out. "How many ghosts are there?"  
  
Jakob wondered briefly if he should lie. He didn't want anyone to live in the kind of fear he did. Day and night he watched for spirits or listened to them making noise no one else could hear. The only way he ever slept and slept peacefully was when he had Matt put him to sleep and then had Trenton give him good dreams. No one deserved to go through that.  
  
"There's only three," He cringed mentally at the lie. It was actually more like ten. "And they only ever bug me." Again another lie.  
  
He didn't think Evan needed to know how the ghosts tended to roam into bedrooms and watch things. He had once caught a dead teenage mutant watching him change clothes. But Evan didn't need to know that.  
  
"There you are!" A voice called out.  
  
Both boys looked up to see Scott approaching, followed closely by Matt, Trenton, Dominic, Taylon, Cody, and Willy. Apparently the word had spread about the basketball lesson. The boys didn't stay behind Scott though, for as soon as they saw the look on Jakob's face all six boys were at his side comforting him.  
  
Scott blinked at the scene, then looked at Evan for an answer. "Well, you know how his power deals with spirits. You do the math man."  
  
"There's ghosts in the mansion?" Scott asked in surprise.  
  
"He's says there's three." Evan replied.  
  
"Y'know, this gives the movie Sixth Sense a whole new meaning." Scott commented with a frown.  
  
"Tell me about it."  
  
Meanwhile the six Hellraisers had managed to calm Jakob down enough to remind him about the basketball lessons. The ghosts were forgotten as excitement took over. The seven boys then practically tackled Evan and Scott and dragged the two boys around to the basketball court to begin their lessons, effectively roping Evan in to the whole thing. When they got there no one was too surprised to see some of the older Hellraisers there too.  
  
"We're just here to keep an eye on the kids." Erik said.  
  
"What you don't trust us with them?" Scott asked.  
  
"Nope." Erik, Ian, and Jesse said in unison.  
  
That ruffled Scott's feathers a little bit, but he let it slide for the sake of the kids. Instead he and Evan just turned their attention to teaching the boys everything they knew, which together was quite a lot.  
  
Ian was watching the game with interest when out of the corner of his eye he spotted a familiar face. He turned his head to look at Jamie, who was watching the lessons with a look of longing. The look on the boy's face pulled at Ian's heartstrings and he decided to do something about it.  
  
Without a word to his two companions he phased through the ground, much like Kitty was apt to doing, and then came up right behind Jamie. The younger boy didn't even notice Ian until the Australian placed a hand on his shoulder. Ian smiled as Jamie nearly jumped out of his skin in surprise, before spinning to see who was there.  
  
"Why the long face kiddo?" Ian asked.  
  
Jamie looked down at the ground. "I want to play with them."  
  
"What's stopping ya?"  
  
Jamie snorted. "I can't play with them. If they bump me there'll be twenty copies of me. If the ball hits me there'll be even more copies of me."  
  
"Ah yes, the contact problem, eh? Well, there's got to be some way you can be involved." Ian said.  
  
"Yeah, I can watch from the sidelines."  
  
Ian frowned. It had become obvious to him in the time that he had been at the Institute that Jamie was often left out of everything. It wasn't only because of his ability to multiply on contact, but also that he was a few years younger than most of the other students. It had gotten a little better with the coming of some younger students, like Matt and Trenton. But all of the younger Hellraisers, and the older ones for that matter, had a bond that Jamie just didn't share with them. In short, Ian could tell that the young Jamie felt like he just didn't belong anywhere.  
  
Ian didn't like for anyone to feel left out. He had too big of a heart to stand by and watch someone long to belong, need to be a part of something so bad it almost physically hurt. He had no doubt that Jamie's teammates would occasionally do things with Jamie, but he could tell that for the most part the thirteen year old was not included in most things.  
  
So, Ian decided he was going to do what no one else really did. He was going to make Jamie feel included. He was going to offer to let Jamie go with him wherever he went and teach the boy anything he could. Even the things Professor Xavier might not want the boy to learn.  
  
"Say Jamie, I've got some things to go do. Would ya like the join me mate?" Ian asked.  
  
For a moment Jamie just stared at the older man. Why was a twenty-one year old guy inviting him along? Then he realized, what does it matter? Someone wanted to spend time with him and that was all that really mattered.  
  
"Sure!" He exclaimed, then slapped a hand over his mouth in embarrassment.  
  
"C'mon then, I've got to let my mates know I'm leaving and probably tell Master Summers that you're coming with me." Ian said with a grin.  
  
The Australian put a hand on Jamie's shoulder and led the boy over to where the basketball training was going on. Scott was busy being an instructor so Ian turned to Erik instead.  
  
"I'm leaving mates, tell the X-men I've taken Mr. Multiple with me." Ian said.  
  
Erik looked down at Jamie. "Are you sure that's such a good idea? You should ask permission first."  
  
"Why? It's not like I'm goin' to do anythin' shonky with the little ankle biter around." Ian replied. "We'll rock up before it gets dark."  
  
With that Ian led Jamie off to his car. Erik watched them go with a frown.  
  
"This isn't going to help the tension around here." He mused.  
  
"You're worrying too much." Jesse replied. "Ian's doing a good thing for that kid. Besides, we'll just tell Kyran about this and let Mr. Fearless Leader handle things."  
  
Erik smirked. "I like the way you think."  
  
"I know." 


	6. Chapter 5

*THIS WILL BE THE LAST WARNING TO ANYONE THAT DOESN'T LIKE SLASH! TURN BACK NOW! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! For anyone who's been looking forward to some Brody/Kurt action, enjoy!*  
  
Kurt opened the door to his and Brody's room and blinked when he realized it was completely dark in there. The shades had been pulled over the windows as well as thick blankets to keep out all light. He wasn't really too surprised by it as Brody was prone to doing such things. It didn't bother the blue furred mutant much because he had good night vision, but good night vision or not Brody's pure black fur made him impossible to find if he didn't want anyone to.  
  
It was times like these that Kurt was afraid to enter the room. He knew of a few of Brody's personalities that didn't like him and were violent. He also knew that there was at least one other personality, besides Brody himself, who would like to do unmentionable things to him. And those unmentionable things weren't all bad things.  
  
"Brody?" Kurt called out softly.  
  
"C'mon in Kurt and shut the door." Brody's voice replied.  
  
There was something in the other boy's voice that motivated Kurt to do what he was told. His stomach fluttered nervously as he stepped further into the room and then shut the door behind himself. Almost instantly strong arms wrapped around his body and he was dragged backwards to the bed. He swallowed nervously. Things had never gotten very far in the bedroom, he didn't really expect it to, but then he never knew what to expect from Brody. That made the relationship both exciting and frightening.  
  
"What are you up to?" Kurt asked. He then grunted in surprise as he was pushed down onto the bed laying flat on his stomach with his hands pinned under him. "B-Brody?"  
  
"Shhhh...relax." Brody whispered into his ear. He flicked his tongue against the older boy's ear and grinned at the reaction.  
  
Kurt did relax at that. He was sure it was one of Brody's more sane personalities in control, if not Brody himself. If it was indeed Brody then he knew the boundaries. They would fool around a bit, but no real serious business. No real sex, Brody had set that as the rule. But they did everything that didn't include.  
  
Brody slowly and gently ran his claws down the length of Kurt's back and smiled at the deep-throated purr that procured. He did it again, but more to the side and once more enjoyed the purring it brought forth. He then bent down and nipped at the back of Kurt's neck, grinning as the purr turned into a low moan. He then leaned forward a little to lick and nip at Kurt's ear and felt the shiver that ran through the older boy's body. Oh how he loved to have that effects on Kurt.  
  
Kurt groaned as Brody continued to torture him and decided he wasn't going to let his boyfriend have all the fun. With a mischievous grin he pushed himself up, spun and grabbed Brody, then pulled the smaller mutant around so that Kurt could pin him instead.  
  
Brody looked slightly stunned, but recovered quickly and returned Kurt's grin. He wrapped his wings around Kurt's back and pulled him into a kiss. At first it was just an innocent closed mouth kiss, but when Kurt stroked Brody's feathered wings the passion in the kiss skyrocketed. Brody nibbled at Kurt's lower lip, careful not to draw blood with his fangs. He then moaned as Kurt's tail worked is way up his thigh. The need for air broke the two apart and Brody stifled another moan.  
  
"I--was supposed to pleasure you." Brody pouted.  
  
Kurt grinned slyly. "We can pleasure each other, ja?"  
  
"Oh god..." Brody gasped. Kurt's tail was busy being very naughty, as his tail was apt to doing. "How--am I supposed to do any--oh god---thing with your tail doing that to me?"  
  
"Doing what?" Kurt asked innocently.  
  
"Oh Gott."  
  
"Oh, I love it when you speak German to me." Kurt teased. He knew Brody was in no state to reply.  
  
Brody moaned and tightened his wings around Kurt as the older boy began teasing his nipples. In desperation to return some of the pleasure Brody captured Kurt in another more searing kiss, exploring his boyfriend's mouth with vigor. Kurt was in heaven because not many of the others knew, but one of Brody's personalities had gotten a tongue piercing. Kurt loved the way it felt and he particularly loved how it made Brody moan when he sucked on the barbell.  
  
Things were about to get really out of hand when Professor Xavier mentally called for the Hellraisers and X-men to meet in his office. Both hormonally charged mutants groaned at the Professor's timing, but quickly straightened themselves out and went to join the rest of their teammates. When they got there everyone else was already there except Ian.  
  
Kyran rounded on Jesse. "Where is he?"  
  
"Out." Jesse replied.  
  
"That's okay Kyran, the whole team is not required." Xavier said.  
  
"So what's the problem Professor?" Scott asked.  
  
Professor Xavier sighed. "Some of the mutants have kidnapped Congressman Robert Yale, a known supporter of the Mutant Registration Act."  
  
"I bet Mick and Jordan are involved." Kyran commented. "Those two are little better than thugs for hire."  
  
"Yale is popular with the public. It's already in the press that mutants were the kidnappers, if anything happens to Yale it will severely damage any chance mutants have of acceptance by humans." Xavier explained. "Yale must be found and rescued."  
  
"Do we have any clue where they're keeping him?" Kyran asked.  
  
"I've tracked them to a hidden base somewhere in the Rocky Mountains. There's no exact coordinates, something is blocking Cerebro." The Professor said. "You'll have to spilt into groups to find the base. That means mixing the Hellraisers with X-men to get groups that compliment each other."  
  
"Y'know, I know we picked the name, Hellraisers, but it's starting to get old." Erik commented to Kale, who was standing beside him. Many of his teammates nodded in agreement.  
  
"Hidden base, huh? Sounds like Magneto's doings." Scott said, ignoring Erik.  
  
"We don't even know if he's alive." Jean said.  
  
"And if he was surely he would be smart enough to know that if mutants cause harm to any human in the public eye then there'll never be peace for either side." Kyran argued.  
  
"Maybe he's going to brainwash Yale, get the guy to change his tune and start preaching good things about mutants." Scott suggested.  
  
"Doubtful."  
  
"Then what do you think smart guy?" Scott demanded angrily.  
  
Kyran smirked. "Well, I don't know, but I do know someone who will know."  
  
///  
  
"I miss Cody."  
  
"Toad, I swear to god if you mention his name one more time I might just shake this house apart." Lance snarled. "At least Pietro doesn't whine for his boyfriend."  
  
Just then the speedy mutant made his appearance. "I miss Kyran."  
  
Lance roared and the house shook with his anger. Pietro blinked in surprise, glanced at Todd for and explanation but only received a shrug in response. After a moment Lance's anger subsided and it was only then that they heard a knocking at the door. Pietro offered one more questioning look at Lance before zipping over to open the door. For a moment there was silence before the speedster threw himself into his boyfriend's arms.  
  
"KyranIwasjusttalkingaboutmissingyouandI'msogladyou'rehereandLancewasgetting reallypissedaboutsomethingbutit'sallbetternowthatyou'rehere."  
  
Kyran hugged Pietro back while shooting a confused look at Lance, who had appeared at the door. The earth shaker shook his head and stalked away. Used to Lance's behavior Kyran simply shrugged it off and pulled back from Pietro a bit.  
  
"As much as I'd love to let you lead me up to your bedroom and catch up on those hours of naughtiness we've missed out on I'm here for business." Kyran said. "Important business."  
  
Pietro grinned and shrugged. "S'okay I know why you're here. As far as I know my father isn't behind Yale's kidnapping."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Well, no. But it does seem kinda stupid to suggest my father would do something stupid like that." Pietro replied. "If he was going to do anything with that Congressman it would have been killing him without implicating mutant involvement."  
  
"That I can believe." Kyran said with a frown. "That still leaves us with quite a problem."  
  
Pietro nodded. Though he really just wanted to give in to his carnal urges and jump Kyran he knew that the situation was a dangerous one. "Right, if anything happens to Yale it'll be about as good as declaring war on the humans and mutants aren't ready for that."  
  
"If we ever will be." Kyran commented. He sighed and gave his boyfriend an apologetic look. "I'm sorry Tro I can't stick around. We're all getting ready to head out to see if we can rescue Yale, we just wanted an idea of what we might be up against."  
  
A sly grin spread across Pietro's face. "Y'know, I think this kind of crisis would constitute the need for mutant teamwork, don't you think?"  
  
"Definitely." Kyran agreed with a matching grin. "What will your father think?"  
  
"He's busy right now." Pietro said. "You haven't told anyone he's alive, right?"  
  
"Of course not. I wouldn't betray your trust like that." Kyran said with an award winning smile. "So, about that 'mutant teamwork'."  
  
///  
  
"Elite?"  
  
"No, too arrogant."  
  
"Kale, we are arrogant." Bryann said.  
  
Kale paused in his reading for a moment, then nodded and continued. "True."  
  
"Renegades?"  
  
"Too...just no."  
  
"Brute Force?"  
  
Kale rolled his eyes. "You're too obsessed with those X-box games for your own good Bry. You play more than draw now."  
  
"I've been drawing for six years to stay alive, give me a break will ya?"  
  
"Good point." Kale agreed. He went to flip the page of his book, but his gloves made it impossible for him to grab just one page.  
  
Bryann watched his friend struggle for a moment before he reached over and flipped the page. "Y'know what I don't understand?"  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"How you can't touch anything else, but you can have those gloves on and they don't change."  
  
"Well, apparently the only thing my powers don't work on is leather." Kale explained. "I've never quite figured it out."  
  
"Hmmm." Bryann trailed off with a shrug and instead focused on the clear blue sky above him. "Justice Squad?"  
  
"Too dorky."  
  
"Sentinels?"  
  
"What are we guarding?"  
  
Bryann frowned. "Good point."  
  
"Listen, why don't we just wait until the rest of the team gets back, then we can put names in a cap and draw from it?" The older boy suggested.  
  
"That's probably what Kyran would suggest." Bryann agreed. There was a long silence before Bryann shifted his silver eyes down to his companion again. "Kale, have you forgiven them yet? Kyran, Cody, and Brody I mean."  
  
Kale frowned, placed his finger in the book to keep his place, then looked up at his younger friend. "Well, they didn't exactly ask to be transferred out of our unit, right? They were transferred out for reasons we'll probably never know. We were in a more secured section, when the jailbreak happened they couldn't get to us, they wouldn't have had a chance of getting us out. So why blame them for it?"  
  
"I guess that's true." Bryann agreed. "But then, why are Luke, Chailyn, and Adam still mad?"  
  
"Because they feel that our three friend shouldn't have escaped without us. All or none, y'know?"  
  
"That is the oath we made."  
  
Kale shrugged. "In the heat of the moment all creatures have one thing in mind, their own survival. Oath or not they were looking out for themselves, which is all that can be expected of them."  
  
"You rationalize it so well, but I can't help but agree with Luke. They shouldn't have left without us."  
  
Kale shrugged again and returned to his book. "You can see it how you want Bry. But just keep in mind that anger and hate destroys not only yourself but everything around you. You keep that in mind while you harbor that grudge."  
  
////  
  
Okay, here's the deal. I named the team Hellraisers, but now I don't really like it and neither do they. I want to give them something meaningful and powerful and something I won't second-guess. So, I have a list of some names I've come up with. It's up to you to vote and tell me which you like or give me your own idea.  
  
Spartans, Shadow's Brood, Hell's Brood, Brute Force, Brute Squad, Mutant Militia , Devil's Angels, Alpha Squad, The Eighteen 


	7. Chapter 6

Oh give me a break. Jean thought as she listened to Kyran and Scott argue. Scott didn't like the idea of the Brotherhood members going along. Kyran insisted that they would need their help. The two team leaders were practically nose-to-nose and it almost looked like a fight would break out.  
  
"We need all the help we can get." Kyran snarled.  
  
"They're our enemies, we can't trust them." Scott growled back.  
  
"I used to be in the Brotherhood, does that mean you can't trust me?"  
  
"What do you think?"  
  
"I think I'm going to kick your ass if you don't back the fuck up." Kyran retorted.  
  
Scott didn't budge an inch. "They're not going. You just want them to go so you can be with your boyfriend."  
  
Kyran growled deep in his throat and gave Scott a fierce, murderous glare. "Don't you accuse me of putting my wants in front of my team's safety."  
  
"Oh don't give me that. You'll be off making out with Pietro while the rest of us are trying to rescue Congressman Yale."  
  
Erik rolled his eyes and looked toward Chailyn. "Mind cooling the fire?"  
  
"My pleasure." Chailyn said. She raised both hands and aimed right at the team leaders before letting loose with a powerful stream of water. Both mutants were knocked to the ground.  
  
Erik stepped up so that he was standing over both of them. "Y'know, I think we need some kind of second in command thing going on here or someone that can be a tie breaker." He glared down at both younger men. "Until then I'm making this decision. Scott the Brotherhood boys are coming with us. Kyran, Scott gets to decide which teams they get put on."  
  
"Fine by me." Kyran said, glaring at Scott.  
  
"Yeah, I'm cool with that." Scott agreed, returning the glare.  
  
"This is going to be so much fun." Pietro groaned as everyone split between the Blackbird and the Velocity.  
  
////  
  
"I thought we agreed I would make the teams." Scott growled over the com links they were using.  
  
"No, just that you'd decide where the Brotherhood boys were placed." Kyran replied.  
  
"Are they always like this?" Lance asked.  
  
Erik rolled his eyes. "It never ends." He growled as the two team leaders continued to argue. "Will the two egomaniacs please shut up?"  
  
Kyran immediately silenced himself. He mumbled an apology to them and then he suggested he and Scott work together on forming the teams, but the younger man could still judge where to put the three Brotherhood members. Scott agreed, swallowing his own pride to work out the best teams possible. As they made five teams of four they tried to place one person who could lead, one who could get them inside, and two powerhouses who could properly defend the rest of the team.  
  
"Okay, everyone be careful and report anything you find immediately." Scott said. The Velocity and Blackbird were stopping to drop off the first team of four; Chailyn, Jesse, Evan, and Kitty.  
  
"And guys, don't kill anyone, okay? Just incapacitate them." Kyran said to his team. "Good luck."  
  
////  
  
Chailyn rolled her eyes as Kitty complained for the sixth time about the cold weather. The hydro mutant was dressed in a pure black suit that was identical to the rest of her teammates and offered no better protection against the cold than Kitty or Evan's did. She swore to herself if the valley girl opened her mouth to complain one more time she might just douse the girl in water and hope it freezes solid.  
  
"We should have, like, gotten parkas or something." Kitty said, shivering.  
  
"Does she always complain this much?" Jesse asked.  
  
Evan rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but you kind of get used to it after a while man."  
  
"Well, Mick and Jordan were two whinny bitches, so if I could put up with them for years I suppose I can get used to a valley girl. There's not much difference."  
  
Chailyn rolled her eyes again and continued stealthily leading the group ahead. She wasn't exactly sure how they were supposed to spot a hidden base. A hidden base was, well, hidden. She couldn't figure out what the real point of the mission was. The Rockies was a huge mountain range, there was no way they could search the whole thing. Any base hidden there would be like a needle in a haystack, impossible to find.  
  
"Ugh, the snow is getting in my shoe." Kitty said. "What the point of this anyway? How are we supposed to find this base?"  
  
"Finally a complaint I can agree with." Chailyn said.  
  
Jesse frowned and stopped walking. He looked around the sparse trees and snow that made up the landscape. "I don't like this. We should have stuck together."  
  
"As one big group? Then we really never would have found whoever has the Congressman." Evan argued.  
  
"Spyke, I have a feeling they've already found us."  
  
////  
  
Kyran stared hard into Adam's cold black eyes. "You're leading the team Tartarus and I expect you to act like a leader. Don't rush into anything just so you can say your team found where they're keeping Yale."  
  
"Wouldn't dream of it Daddy." Adam sneered. He then hopped out of the Velocity followed by Todd. In the Blackbird Scott snagged Kurt before the younger mutant could join them.  
  
"I don't trust that Tartarus character. Be careful with him, okay?" Scott said.  
  
Kurt nodded. "Ja, don't worry Cyke, I'll be fine."  
  
////  
  
"I can already see the look on Kyran's face when he finds out we found the base first." Adam said with a distant look in his eyes.  
  
"You never listen to Kyran, do you?" Taylon growled. "You're such an arrogant asshole. Doesn't the team mean anything to you?"  
  
"Hey, I'm still here, aren't I?" Adam retorted. "That'll have to be enough for you."  
  
"You have a fucked up way of showing you care." Taylon grumbled.  
  
Adam shrugged, then smirked. "Chailyn would pull your horns out if she heard you swearing like that."  
  
"I know."  
  
Todd shook his head as he hopped along beside Kurt. "That guy sound like someone we know?"  
  
"Ja, Tartarus and Quicksilver must have been made from the same mold or something." Kurt agreed.  
  
"If you're talking about me it had better be good or you're going to be in Hell." Tartarus called back to the younger boys in a disgustingly casual voice.  
  
"I don't know which one abuses his power more though." Kurt whispered.  
  
"This guy, definitely, Pietro never REALLY terrorizes anyone."  
  
"Ach, you don't even know the half of it."  
  
////  
  
Cold grey eyes watched a computer screen with a growing smirk. "Base to field agents, targets have arrived. Move in and neutralize."  
  
"Dead or alive?" A deep, cold voice questions back.  
  
"Alive preferably, but if you have to kill one of them to make an example, boss said that's okay."  
  
"Oh yeah, it's party time."  
  
////  
  
Jean was a little unnerved by the silence she was surrounded by. Reece couldn't talk and he could only very rarely project mental images. Erik and Luke were both silently doing their part to find what ever it was they were supposed to find. She was used to a lot of chattering and though she thought the silence was nice at first, it was really starting to get to her.  
  
Then she heard an odd, but vaguely familiar sound. It sounded like...wings. She looked up just in time to see a red fist flying at her face. She had no time to react, and neither did Reece who joined her in unconsciousness when a tail thumped him across his forehead.  
  
Luke and Erik both turned at the sound of bodies hitting the ground and saw a red skinned goliath that looked very gargoyle like. It had twin horns that curved back over its head and four sharp looking talons on each hand. Murky yellow eyes gleamed evilly at the two smaller guys as they stared up at the creature that was easily 7'5''.  
  
"Who the hell are you?" Luke demanded.  
  
"I'm Minion and you're coming with me." The large mutant replied.  
  
Luke rolled his eyes and formed a ball of energy in his closed fist. He then flung the energy at Minion, but the mutant leapt an incredible distance in the air and landed behind the two boys. Luke ducked and rolled as Minion swiped at them with his tail, while Erik liquefied himself and slithered away.  
  
Erik went toward Jean to use her com link to warn the rest of the teams when he felt Minion jump over him and before he knew what was happening the large mutant had both Jean and Reece in his grasp. A talon was to each mutant's throat and an evil smirk adorned Minion's face.  
  
"Surrender or I'll kill them both and I assure you I will do it." Minion ordered in a booming voice.  
  
Erik glanced back at Luke and found the younger man had a fist full of energy ready to throw. "Firefight, don't. This guy means business."  
  
"Smart boy. Now come with me and these two won't get hurt, too bad."  
  
"You'll regret this." Luke snarled.  
  
Minion smirked. "I doubt it."  
  
////  
  
Brody paused mid step and grunted as Cody smacked into his back. The black furred mutant steadied himself and shot an apologetic look toward his snake- like friend. He then lifted his head slightly and sniffed the air while straining his ears. Something felt wrong. Something felt very wrong to him.  
  
"Guys--."  
  
Kwapop.  
  
"Guys, we've got company!" Brody called out.  
  
Seconds later Mick and Jordan appeared from around the bend in front of them. Mick had his trademark Sledgehammer and Jordan his sword. Both wore smirks on their faces.  
  
"Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty. Come play with us." Mick sneered.  
  
"You want to play, you get the full team." Scott replied.  
  
"Isn't that sweet, the kitten has guard dogs." Jordan laughed. "Stay out of the way mutt, your turn will come."  
  
"Mutt? I'll show you mutt." Scott growled and then let loose with an optic blast.  
  
Jordan laughed, absorbed the energy in his sword and redirected it back at Cody. The snake mutant didn't even get a chance to gasp before the energy knocked him into the shield and unconscious. Jordan and Mick grinned at each other as one opponent was taken out.  
  
"Who's next?"  
  
Scott frowned and studied to two mutants. They were powerful sure, but they had to have a weakness. Beside him Pietro acted before Scott could plan anything. The speedster ran circles around Mick and Jordan creating a cyclone that carried them off the ground.  
  
"Good idea Quicksilver, but now what do we do?" Scott grumbled. "Voltaic?"  
  
Brody shrugged. "If I try and zap them they'll just use it."  
  
"And the same goes for me." Scott said with a frown.  
  
Suddenly two anchors hit the ground and Mick and Jordan stopped whirling, though they were still floating in the air. And then quite suddenly a hurdle appeared in front of Pietro who had only enough time for a hyper speed yelp before he hit it went tumbling. Brody winced as he saw the speed demon was out cold only an inch from the energy shield.  
  
"Great, there goes the only advantage we had." Scott groaned as the twins dropped to the ground.  
  
Suddenly the twins' com links buzzed to life. "Minion to base four targets have been neutralized. Request transport."  
  
"This is base, well done Minion, Crisscross will be there shortly." Came the reply.  
  
The com went quiet and the twins' grinned. "Hear that, four of your teammates have been captured. So why don't you just surrender and make it easy for yourselves?"  
  
Mick created a whip, lashed it around Pietro's leg, and yanked the unconscious boy over to him. He reached down and grabbed Pietro by his throat and lifted him up with one hand while creating an energy knife in the other.  
  
"Well, surrender or he dies."  
  
"That doesn't leave us much of a choice." Scott said.  
  
"I know."  
  
Jordan activated his com link. "This is Carnage, four targets have been neutralized. Request transport."  
  
"This is base. Well done you two. Drifter will be there as soon as he can."  
  
////  
  
Todd leapt straight up in the air and landed on a low branch of a tree and wrapped his long arms around the trunk as it shook with the impact. He looked down at the brown furred rhino that was trying to do him in. He then looked over to Adam's unconscious form and then to Taylon and Kurt who were just realizing something was happening.  
  
"Hey yo, you two wanna do somethin' other than stand there?" Todd shouted.  
  
Taylon morphed into his bull form and charged the rhino's side. The other horned creature swung around and Taylon slid to a stop a few feet away. The two animals stared each other down. Neither was going to back down. Taylon snorted, the rhino pawed the ground.  
  
Kurt watched for a moment before he ported up to the tree, grabbed Todd and ported them both to the ground a little ways away from Taylon and the rhino. The German mutant then ported onto the rhino's back and then up to the top branches of a tree, where he left the rhino. The animal promptly turned into an angry looking girl with brown hair and brown eyes.  
  
"You fucker, get back up here and teleport me down!" She roared.  
  
Kurt rolled his eyes. "I think not."  
  
"Fine. It was really just a chance for you to earn some brownie points." She replied and then began swinging and hopping down the branches like an expert.  
  
When she reached the last branch she swung out of it and landed flying kick to Todd's face. She watched as he went tumbling and flipped away from the horns of the angry bull. As soon as her feet were flat on the ground she morphed to the rhino and lifted one of her big powerful front legs and held the foot over Adam's head. Her message was a simple one to understand. She watched with an inner smirk as the bull transformed back into a boy. It was all too easy.  
  
////  
  
Kyran groaned as he watched the last team get led and dragged into holding cells. The cells were made so as to neutralize any mutant powers of the prisoners within. He frowned deeply and looked around. He didn't like any of this. Someone had been expecting them. Things just weren't looking good at all. 


	8. Chapter 7

Scott frowned and glanced around at the other nineteen clear, seemingly glass cages around the room. He sighed to himself. If the cages were glass then every single one of the captured mutants would be free one-way or another. Except the cages weren't glass, they were made of something that was neutralizing their powers whenever they tried to either use them against the cage or use them to get out. He noted with another sigh that Kitty and Kurt were both still unconscious after trying to use their powers to get out.  
  
"This is great, just great. Twenty mutants and we still get our asses whooped." Kyran grumbled.  
  
"Don't blame us, we've been getting our asses kicked for a long time yo." Todd commented.  
  
"Maximoff stop pacing you're making me dizzy." Evan snapped.  
  
Pietro flipped him off and continued his pacing. "Mind your own business Daniels."  
  
"Just ignore him Evan. We don't need to be fighting right now." Scott ordered. "We need to figure out how to get out of here, if we can get out of here."  
  
"Well, I can answer that for you quite simply actually." An unfamiliar voice spoke up. "You can't get out of here unless I choose to release you."  
  
All eyes went to the newcomer in the room. It was a young looking man who had long black hair tied back in a ponytail and cold dark eyes. He had a blood red cape, steel tipped boots, and a silver chest plate that looked right out of the middle ages.  
  
"Excuse me sir, the convention for Lord of the Rings is in another hidden base." Adam sneered.  
  
The man smirked and slowly turned to look at the arrogant boy. "You're the illusionist, Tartarus, correct?"  
  
"What's it to ya?" Adam snarled.  
  
"I think you need an attitude adjustment." The man replied calmly.  
  
The two stared at each other as silence choked the room. It was black eyes against black eyes and equally hateful looks. And then something flickered in Adam's eyes, the hateful expression turned to one of agony and fear. His teammates watched in shock as they had never seen either of those emotions exhibited by the arrogant illusionist. Then, as if a switch had been flipped the mutant's eyes rolled up in the back of his head and he slumped against the side of the cage.  
  
"Hey! What the hell did you do?" Kyran roared. "Who the hell are you anyway?"  
  
The still smirking man shifted his gaze toward the shadow controller. "I simply showed him a past he would like to forget and a future he didn't want to see."  
  
"Answer the other question."  
  
"Forgive my rudeness, my name is Prince Desor. Welcome to my base. I hope your stay will be agonizing and terrible." The man replied as calmly as ever.  
  
"Prince, huh? Of what? This mountain?" Pietro taunted.  
  
"Quicksilver, shut up." Kyran hissed. He didn't want to watch his boyfriend go through anything like what Adam had.  
  
Luckily for Pietro, Desor seemed to just ignore the question. Instead the man walked the isle between the two rows of ten cages. As he went he scrutinized each mutant with a smirk firmly on his face the whole way.  
  
"I'm going to get straight to the point of my visit into this room." He finally said. "As you can guess those mutants that attacked you are working for me. I approached them all with the same deal I'm going to offer you. Join me and be free from the coming strife, or don't join me and suffer."  
  
"What are you talking about? Coming strife?" Scott demanded.  
  
"I can't tell you much, but I will tell you that war is coming between humans and mutants. You have your chance to join me, sit back and wait for it to end. Or don't join me and be forced to fight for your lives." Desor explained with as little detail as he could.  
  
"How do you know war is coming?" Jean asked.  
  
Desor grinned nastily. "Because I'm provoking it."  
  
There was a moment of stunned silence. They all had the same question in mind, which Erik voiced for them.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Oh, that part you don't need to know yet." Was the calm reply. "You have an hour to decide. In the mean time some guests wish to speak to you and I have plans to finalize."  
  
With that the man swept out of the room leaving silence behind. It was all a lot to take in all at once. No one got a chance to say anything before Mick and Jordan strutted into the room with smirks that matched Desor's.  
  
"Traitors." Erik hissed at them.  
  
"Oh please, like you really thought we would stick with you losers once we got out." Jordan sneered.  
  
"Not that! How can you betray mutant kind like this?"  
  
Mick laughed. "Oh that's easy. See, we weren't going to take the deal at first, since war would give us plenty of chances to use our powers."  
  
"But then Desor said that when the war was over he would give countries to anyone who joined him." Jordan continued.  
  
"What power hungry egomaniac wouldn't agree to those terms?"  
  
"Well, I don't consider myself power hungry, but I'm certainly an egomaniac and even I wouldn't agree to that." Pietro spoke up.  
  
"Then you're a fool." Jordan sneered.  
  
"Put not your trust in princes." Luke spoke up.  
  
Mick rolled his eyes. "Please, don't give us any of your quote crap. It doesn't mean shit."  
  
"Fools think they need no advice, but the wise listen to others." Luke said.  
  
"The wise should also learn when to shut up."  
  
"You traitors will get what's coming to you in the end." Chailyn spoke up.  
  
"Let me guess we're going to suffer for eternity in Hell?" Mick laughed.  
  
Chailyn shook her head and grinned viciously. "No, I'm going to suck every drop of water from your bodies if I ever get the chance. It's a promise."  
  
"Oh, you scare us." Jordan sneered.  
  
"Yeah, we're so afraid." Mick taunted.  
  
"You should be, she keeps her promises." Taylon spoke up for the first time.  
  
Jordan rolled his eyes. "Shut up little bull boy."  
  
"Hey bull boy, you remember what I said about your horns?" Mick asked with an evil glint in his eyes.  
  
The color drained from Taylon's face as Mick produced a chainsaw made of energy. The young boy gulped and stumbled to the back of his cage. He didn't put it past Mick to carry out that threat.  
  
"Hey, leave the kid alone!" Kyran shouted.  
  
Jordan left his brother's side and walked to stand in front of Kyran's cage. "Ah, fearless leader, I see you're still sticking up for all the other little pansies. Man, it would really kill you to have to stay in there while your buddy get the shit beat out of him."  
  
"Don't you dare. Jordan, I swear to god I'll kill you if you touch any of them." Kyran snarled. "You know I will."  
  
"Oh don't threaten me Kyran. I know your armor's weakness."  
  
"We know." Mick piped up.  
  
Kyran paled a little at that. "There's no way you could know."  
  
"Desor told us, told all of us." Jordan explained. "You're no longer invincible. So sit down and shut up little boy."  
  
To everyone's surprise Kyran did shut up, and looked quite a little shaken up too. He couldn't believe that some stranger knew his most closely guarded secret. No one was ever supposed to know the weakness to his armor. It made him feel vulnerable and he didn't like that one bit.  
  
"Marauder, Carnage, time's up. Leave them to brood." Desor ordered from the doorway.  
  
Mick smirked one last time at Taylon before turning and stalking about. Jordan stared at Kyran for a moment before he followed his brother. Desor shut the door and silence reigned. No one said anything for a long time as they all tried to recover from what had happened.  
  
Kyran was trying to recover from the shock of having his weakness known. Shadow was trying desperately to cheer him up, but nothing was working. He couldn't figure out how a stranger knew something he had only once ever admitted. He was sure it had probably been on file at the Facility, but that place had been caved in and destroyed. The only files of the mutants were the ones Professor Xavier had Wolverine download.  
  
"Ky, are you okay?" Brody's voice finally broke the oppressive silence.  
  
Kyran looked over at his younger teammate. "Yeah, I'll be okay as soon as I get my hands around Jordan's neck."  
  
"Let's concentrate on getting out of here first." Scott said.  
  
"If you have any suggestions I'm all ears, Goggles." Kyran replied.  
  
Scott tensed and growled. "Don't call me that."  
  
"Whatever." Kyran said dismissively. "Anyone have any ideas?"  
  
"There's no way to get out of these cages and no way to call for help." Scott replied.  
  
Help. That's what they needed. But their com links had been taken and weren't made to contact the Institute. The only chance they had of calling for back up was to get to the stashed Velocity or Blackbird.  
  
Kyran was at a loss for what to do. He was just glad the younger members of the team were still back at the Institute and safe for the moment.  
  
Wait! The rest of the Hellraisers! Trenton. There was no force on Earth that could block the kid's ability to enter someone's dreams. The whole team had a link with Trenton.  
  
"Anyone tired?"  
  
"What?" A myriad of voices questioned.  
  
"Who is the one mutant not captured here that can find us and his powers can't be blocked." Kyran asked in reply.  
  
For half a second there was silence before Taylon figured out what the older boy was talking about. "Trenton! If there's any chance he's sleeping we can contact him."  
  
"And do what? Have the New Mutants come rescue us? They'll be captured quicker than we were." Scott argued. "They have way less training."  
  
"Yeah, well I think you can think of one mutant who could bust in here and probably take every one of those mutants out." Lance spoke up.  
  
"ExceptpossiblythatLockdowncharacterthattookyouguysout." Pietro said.  
  
Everyone looked toward the speedster to see he was still pacing back and forth and his pace had picked up considerably. He also looked like he was sweating a lot and even though he was a slight blur it also looked like there was a panicked look on his face.  
  
"'Tro? Calm down."  
  
"Ican't.Iwantout.Ineedout.Outoutoutout!" Pietro rambled quickly.  
  
"Is he Claustrophobic or something?" Todd asked. "Cause I've never seen him act like this."  
  
"Well, maybe not necessarily Claustrophobic, but think about it. He's used to running around free. He can usually escape all his problems in a flash." Kyran explained. "But now he's trapped. He can't get away and it's killing him."  
  
"StoptalkingaboutmelikeI'mnothere." Pietro snapped.  
  
"Calm down Pietro, we'll get out of here." Kyran said soothingly.  
  
"Guys, I hate to bring this up, but are we even going to discuss the creep's offer?" Jean asked.  
  
"No." Several voices responded.  
  
Silence returned until Adam, Kurt, and Kitty woke up. Everyone took turns explaining what was going on. And then there was silence again. For a while everyone continued standing until one by one they sat down until Pietro was the last one still standing as he paced back and forth. He was still pacing when Desor returned.  
  
"You look like a caged tiger young Quicksilver." Desor said with a hint of taunting in his voice. "Want out?"  
  
"Morethananything." Pietro replied in a rush. In a flash he was pressed against the cage, staring longingly at Desor. "Letmeout."  
  
"Will you join me?"  
  
To Pietro he seemed to pause for an eternity, to everyone else his response was immediate. "Yesyes! Letmeout."  
  
"Pietro!" Many voices shouted in surprise.  
  
Desor smirked and with a wave of his hand Pietro's cage disappeared. The speedster avoided eye contact, which made Desor suspicious.  
  
"Pietro, how could you?" Kyran demanded, his voice sounding somewhere between angry and hurt.  
  
Pietro turned to look at his boyfriend. "I said I wasn't power hungry enough. But come on what good would I do in a war? Messenger? Spy? My power is good for nothing but running. I'm sitting this one out."  
  
"I always knew you were a coward Maximoff." Evan snarled. "But this takes the cake."  
  
"Oh shut up Daniels." Pietro snapped. "You can't possibly understand."  
  
"That's enough Quicksilver." Desor said. He smirked and stepped toward the boy. "Now, seeing as how you so readily betrayed your friends I won't put it past you to betray me."  
  
"Wha-."  
  
Before Pietro could finish his question Desor snapped his fingers and a collar appeared around the boy's neck. "Don't worry Quicksilver, you won't find out what it does, unless you decide to betray me." He smirked. "Welcome to the team."  
  
Desor's back was turned so that he missed Pietro flipping him off. Instead he began walking forward, looking back and forth between his captives. As he moved between Scott and Kyran the shadow wielding mutant was suddenly in his armor and threw himself at the front of the cage.  
  
"You hurt him pal and I'll put you in a world of hurt." Kyran snarled.  
  
Desor smirked. "Oh, is that a fact?"  
  
"That's a promise."  
  
"I think you need an attitude adjustment, like your friend Tartarus." Desor said with a smirk on his face.  
  
"You let me out of this cage and you'll get the attitude adjustment." Kyran snarled.  
  
Desor laughed mockingly. With a wave of his hand the cage around Kyran disappeared and almost instantly the shadow armor grew blades. The boy launched himself at Desor only to be stopped mid air and held there. All eyes turned to Jean, who frantically shook her head that she wasn't doing it.  
  
"How pathetic you are young Shadow Knight to assume that you could possibly give me an attitude adjustment." Desor taunted. "You forget that I know the weakness of your armor and now so will everyone else."  
  
Kyran struggled in the air as Desor pulled a dagger from his belt. Everyone cringed in unison as Desor then swung the weapon at Kyran's neck. There was an almost metallic clang as the blade connected with Kyran's armor.  
  
"Fast moving objects get blocked. Anything that actually hits the armor doesn't affect you, be it weapons or energy blasts." Desor said, as if he really had to explain anything to the young mutant. "However, what no one else has figured out is..."  
  
Desor calmly placed the blade against Kyran's chest and began to slowly pull it diagonally. There was a sharp intake of breath from Kyran and seconds later blood began to flow from the gash both in Kyran's flesh and armor. Desor dragged the blade down to the young man's hip and then pulled the bloodied weapon away with a triumphant smirk.  
  
"...A slow moving blade can pierce your armor like a hot knife through butter. A slow moving anything for that matter. I could choke you to death with ease. Or slowly push a knife into your heart." Desor flashed a nasty smile. "So, be a good boy or you'll be a dead boy, got it?"  
  
With that Kyran was thrown backwards and the cage materialized around him. He slumped against the side and his shadow armor melted away. Without a word to anyone he turned his head to stare emotionlessly at Pietro.  
  
Desor smiled darkly and then turned so that he was facing down the line to the rest of the cages. "Now, anyone else plan on joining me?"  
  
"I will." 


	9. Chapter 8

"Adam!" Several voices exclaimed.  
  
He smirked. "Oh please, as if you didn't expect this. I'm the first one you expected to turn."  
  
"But I thought you said, in your own strange way, that you care about the team." Taylon said. He didn't sound angry like the others. He was clearly hurt.  
  
"Kid you should know by now that I don't care for anyone but myself."  
  
"He who is full of himself is likely to be quite empty." Luke spoke up.  
  
Adam rolled his eyes. "Don't try that shit with me kid. Besides, self preservation is the first law of nature."  
  
"Too true." Desor agreed. He waved his hand and Adam's cage disappeared. "Oh and in case you think about using your pretty little powers on me, remember what I showed you."  
  
Adam nodded. "You don't have to worry about that. I don't owe these guys anything."  
  
"Then join Quicksilver."  
  
Adam started to walk that way when Taylon pounded at his cage. Adam turned to look at the younger boy, wondering just what he would have to say to get it through the boy's thick skull. And he did turn in to a bull so Adam imagined he had a pretty thick skull.  
  
"What?" Adam growled.  
  
"You know, despite your attitude I always thought you cared about us. About-me." Taylon faltered for a minute then continued. "Now I see you for what you really are. A self absorbed, egotistical, asshole. I hate you, you asshole. Burn in hell with the rest of the traitors."  
  
Adam's emotionless face didn't even flicker, but inside he felt like someone had shoved a knife through him. Taylon's words hurt more than he ever would have expected. Seeing the lone tear trail down the younger boy's cheek hurt even worse. But the thing that really tore him apart was when the hurt faded from Taylon's eyes and was replaced by a deep hatred. That made him have second thoughts about what he was doing. Taylon didn't understand, didn't see.  
  
But then, how could he expect any of them to see. He never showed anything but contempt toward them all. He regretted that, for he knew if things went wrong he'd never have a chance to make it up. And he especially wanted to make it up to Taylon.  
  
"Let's face it kid, I'm headed for Hell whether you condemn me there or not." Please understand Taylon. Forgive me.  
  
Desor turned to look at Adam having clearly heard the young man's thoughts. He thought of calling the boy on it, but decided it would be much better for Adam to think that he was fooled. And to have him suffer over thoughts of his teammates hating him would be punishment enough for the time being.  
  
"Anyone else want to join me?"  
  
"I will, yo." Todd spoke up.  
  
Desor turned to the young mutant. "Hmmm...you I expected. What good is a Toad in war?"  
  
"Cannon fodder." Todd replied simply. "I'm tired of getting beat up and used."  
  
"Be serious Toad, what do you think this guy is going to do?" Lance argued.  
  
"I'm bein' serious. Face it, I'd probably be the first one out of all of us killed. I ain't useful to anyone." Todd said.  
  
"Todd don't. Fighting for what'sss right and dying isss better than not fighting at all." Cody said.  
  
"Sorry Cody." Todd said as Desor dissolved his cage. Without a word Todd hopped over to where the other two traitors were standing.  
  
Desor smirked and looked around at the rest of the group. "Anyone else."  
  
He was met by silence. That didn't surprise Desor. The three he had expected to join him had. He nodded to himself, then turned and left the room taking the three traitors with him. The door closed behind him with a firm click and the silence continued.  
  
"Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." Luke said softly but firmly.  
  
"Amen." Several voices agreed.  
  
"How could he?" Taylon growled. "After everything this team has been through, how could he?"  
  
Chailyn looked across the isle to her younger friend. "Tay...is there something you want to tell us?"  
  
"No." Taylon said quickly. "I just can't believe he would betray us like that."  
  
"I can." Luke replied. "That guy has never cared about anyone but himself. Sorry to break that to you Tay. It's the truth though."  
  
"Yeah, the only love he feels is for himself." Chailyn agreed.  
  
"And no matter how much you care for him you can't change who he isss." Cody added.  
  
The three looked to Brody for him to add his two cents, but the furry mutant was staring at Kyran. The shadow wielder hadn't moved from his position. He was still looking to where Pietro had been. The wound across his torso was still oozing blood and Shadow was trying to get him to do something, but the mutant just wasn't responding.  
  
"Ky...oh Ky...don't do this. Not now." Brody called. "We need you Ky."  
  
"Yeah, what is this, you giving up? What happened to the cocky bastard that could always kick my ass?" Scott added.  
  
Kyran didn't respond. The young man didn't even seem to hear them. His expression was emotionless and void and he hadn't blinked since he was flung back in his cage. It was a disturbing sight for everyone.  
  
"This is great. We've got three traitors, an unresponsive leader, and no way of getting out of here." Lance grumbled. "Could this get any worse."  
  
"Shut up, don't you know you're never supposed to say that." Brody hissed. "You're going to jinx us or something."  
  
"I'd say we're pretty jinxed furball."  
  
"Hey, do you have a problem with fur?" Kurt demanded.  
  
"I wasn't talking to you fuzzbutt." Lance retorted.  
  
"Don't take your frustration at traitorous teammates out on us." Kurt snapped. "It's not our fault."  
  
"Oh everyone just shut up." Chailyn snapped.  
  
And silence reigned.  
  
////  
  
"Hey, you fucking cheater!"  
  
"I don't cheat, I bend the rules."  
  
Pietro, Todd, and Adam followed Desor into a rec room where a group of mutants was doing a variety of activities. Five of them were playing poker at a table across the room, two were playing chess at another table, and the rest were sprawled in different positions in front of a TV.  
  
"Make yourselves at home boys. You can go where you want as long as you don't leave the base." Desor said. "Oh, and don't get on anyone's bad side. This isn't a very forgiving group of mutants."  
  
"That's illegal! Knights don't move like that!"  
  
"You calling me a cheater?"  
  
"Yeah I'm calling you a cheater!"  
  
The two mutants playing chess shot to their feet and the table was shoved to the side. One of the mutants was two feet taller than the other, but the smaller man didn't seem like he was going to let size deter him. They stared at one another for a moment before the smaller guy began glowing a slight red color. The taller guy, the one that had been cheating, growled in pain and then promptly transformed into a white tiger. Things would have gotten bloody if Desor hadn't suddenly stepped in.  
  
"Dark Hunter, Agony, play nice boys."  
  
The white tiger reverted back to human form and the glow ceased around the other guy. They exchanged glares before the cheater stomped over to the TV and plopped down on the floor. The other guy shook his head and began setting up the chess table again.  
  
With the crisis adverted Desor left the rec room and the three new mutants in the presence of strangers. There was a moment when the mutants around the poker table eyed the newcomers with suspicion but they quickly lost interest and returned to the game. The mutants around the TV didn't even bother looking they were so wrapped up in whatever they were doing. The mutant at the table, Agony, glared at the newcomers briefly before he too joined the mutants around the TV.  
  
"Friendly group." Todd mumbled.  
  
"Ha! I knew you would join us Adam." Jordan's voice rang out from somewhere around the TV.  
  
Jordan and Mick both stood up and made their way over to the three traitors. Mick eyed Pietro with a smirk.  
  
"I guess you're not as much of a fool as I took you for." Mick sneered. "Though I half expect this to be some stupid plan to try and free your friends."  
  
"They can rot in there for all I care." Pietro replied.  
  
"Oh no, Prince Desor has plans for them." Jordan said.  
  
Adam's interest was peaked. "Yeah, like what?"  
  
"Gonna frame them for the death of Congressman Yale. That's gonna get the humans riled up and start a war between mutants and humans." Jordan explained.  
  
"And we get to sit back and watch the fun." Mick snickered.  
  
"Sounds great, but why is Desor doing this in the first place?" Adam asked.  
  
"Well, Desor is from another dimension and apparently he has a bet going with his brothers that he can conquer this dimension before they do." Mick said. "He's using the war to weaken the resistance. After the humans and mutants have practically killed each other off, then he'll come in and clean up."  
  
"Then he's going to split the planet up among those of us that helped him and move on to a new planet." Jordan finished.  
  
Adam nodded. "So, this planet doesn't even really mean anything to him? He's just trying to win a bet?"  
  
"Basically."  
  
////  
  
Pietro looked around carefully from where he was leaning against the wall. Everyone was either absorbed in poker or watching TV including Adam and Todd. He double and triple checked to make sure no one was watching him before he zipped out of the room. He zoomed through the halls looking for the exit, which he eventually found a small tunnel that he could barely fit through. He imagined it was probably the only source of air.  
  
He zoomed through the tunnel at a head spinning speed and once he was outside he kept up his quick pace, searching for either the Blackbird or the Velocity. He wasn't sure where exactly he was, but at hyper speed he figured it wouldn't take him that long to find one of them. And it didn't. He found the Velocity which they had carefully concealed with snow and such.  
  
"Perfect." He whispered as if someone was going to hear.  
  
He got himself inside and went to the cockpit. He was fiddling around with things, trying to figure out how to send a message when one of the consoles suddenly beeped. For a moment he panicked, wondering if he had done something. Then it beeped again and looking at the console he realized what it was. He reached over and pushed a few buttons.  
  
"Anyonethere?" Pietro called. "DamnitwhichbuttondoIpush?"  
  
"Quicksilver?"  
  
Pietro felt a rush of relief he never thought he'd feel at that rough voice. "Wolverineeveryone'sbeencapturedandIpretendedtobetraythemsoIcouldgetoutherea nd--."  
  
"Slow down kid." Wolverine growled. "Now, did you say everyone's been captured?"  
  
Pietro explained everything slowly, but still as quickly as he could with Wolverine still understanding him. He could tell he was getting on the older man's nerves, but he really couldn't take a chance of taking too long. Things were taking too long as it was.  
  
"Alright, listen to me carefully. I'm gonna tell you how to program the auto pilot." Wolverine said.  
  
Pietro did everything he was told with ease and then wrote directions to get into the base and where all the security cameras were he had found during his search. Then he pushed the button for the auto pilot to go and zipped out of the Velocity. He zoomed back to the base and was headed back to the rec room when suddenly he felt as though his neck was on fire. The fire seemed to spread down his body to the tips of his toes and with a strangled yell of pain he collapsed to the floor, his momentum causing him to slide into a wall with a hefty thump.  
  
"I knew I couldn't trust you young Quicksilver." Desor said, appearing out of nowhere. "Now you're going to suffer like the traitor you are."  
  
Pietro couldn't control the whimper that escaped him as the evil man approached him. He knew he was in for a lot of pain. But he knew he was the only one that could have done anything to free himself and the rest of the captured mutants. For once he had done something for someone else and now he was going to pay dearly for it. 


	10. Chapter 9

The cage room was completely silent, as most of the occupants had given up on any kind of conversation. Most of the caged mutants were sleeping since there was nothing more they could do. Kyran was still awake and still staring at the same place. Scott was sitting with his back against the cage and a hand clamped in his hair as he tried to think of what to do. Brody was curled up in one corner of his cage watching everyone with wide eyes and Kurt was watching him with sorrow. It was definitely a depressing atmosphere.  
  
The door into the room opened with such force that it banged against the wall loud enough to wake anyone that had been sleeping. Minion entered with a sick grin on his face and he was dragging something behind him. At first no one recognized the bloody, horribly beaten and tortured figure until Kyran finally stirred from his stupor.  
  
"Pietro!"  
  
"My god, what did they do to him?" Evan gasped.  
  
Minion dragged the unconscious Pietro over to one of the cage areas and dumped him there. He stepped back and waited as Desor entered the room with a smirk on his face. He knelt beside Pietro and muttered something no one heard. Instantly Pietro snapped to consciousness and looked at Desor with wide fearful eyes.  
  
"You may have succeed in calling for reinforcements but do you really think that'll do any good. Foolish boy." Desor sneered. "We'll be ready for them, just like we were ready for you."  
  
"Except they know about you." Pietro mumbled.  
  
Desor smirked. "Makes little different." His smirk faded. "In war few suffer worse than traitors."  
  
"I'm not a traitor." Pietro growled through pain. "I was never on your side."  
  
Everyone winced as the sound of a harsh slap echoed through to room, and more blood spurted from Pietro's already bleeding nose. Pietro groaned despite himself and tried to curl away from his aggressor.  
  
Desor stood, kicked Pietro roughly in the ribs, and then with a wave of his hands a cage appeared around Pietro. It was considerably smaller than everyone else's and would seem extremely confining to the speedster. With a smirk back on his face the prince left the room taking a snickering Minion with him.  
  
"Pietro?"  
  
No answer.  
  
"Pietro, are you hurt seriously?" Kyran asked. He's so bloody...he looks like he's dying. Oh god...he might be dying right in front of us.  
  
"I'm-I'm not hurt that bad." Pietro said in a weak voice. "Looks worse than it is."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"I went up to the Velocity and talked with Wolverine. Told him...what's going on." Pietro paused and took a shaky breath. "I think he's bringing back up." He took another shaky breath. "I was coming back when Desor caught me. He turned that stupid collar on it felt like he'd set my body on fire. I couldn't move. Then he just handed me over to those animals."  
  
There was silence for a moment. "Did...Todd or Adam...?"  
  
"Do anything? No." Pietro said in a voice that was very final. The conversation about what happened was over.  
  
////  
  
Minion smirked at the boy in the cage. The blonde was the youngest mutant in the room and had thus far not said a word to anyone. Minion knew what the boy's powers were and the bored mutant was looking for a good fight. He stared into the fourteen year olds hazel eyes with a look that promised lots of pain.  
  
Behind Minion was Desor, looking extremely bored with the situation. "Just don't kill him Minion. I want them all alive."  
  
"I can cause a lot of pain without killing." Minion replied.  
  
"Leave the kid alone!" Kyran shouted, back to his old self.  
  
"That one would be more of a challenge Minion." Desor suggested, pointing to the shadow wielder.  
  
Minion shook his head. "No, I want to see what this kid is capable of."  
  
"You do realize he's a shapeshifter?"  
  
"All the more fun."  
  
Desor shook his head and handed a device to Minion. "Fine, when you're done with your fun just put him back in the same place and push the black button to recreate his shield."  
  
"Yeah, yeah I got it."  
  
Dom tensed as Desor left the room. The young mutant searched his mind for what he should transform into. His power allowed him to change into any mythical creature, which is where he got his code name of Myth. He was trying to decide what would be his best choice when his cage disappeared. Frantically he changed into the first thing he could thing of.  
  
Minion stepped back in surprise as the young mutant's form bulked out and his skin hardened and changed to a blue color. Dom's face elongated and was clearly becoming lizard-like with rows of razor sharp teeth. His arms and legs lengthened and his size grew rapidly to twice Minion's size. A long powerful tail sprouted from his tailbone and sharp spines erupted from his skin all along his spine. The final change came with two powerful wings that flared out an impressive wingspan.  
  
"Wow." Minion said in awe. He hadn't been expecting Dom to become a dragon.  
  
A deep rumbling growl vibrated the room slightly as Dom fixed burning hazel eyes on the enemy mutant. His tail snapped forward and wrapped around Minion's wrist, lifting the smaller mutant off the ground with ease. Sparks of fire licked at the red skinned mutant as the dragon roared in his face. The cages shook with the power and rage behind the second roar.  
  
"Not bad." Minion admitted.  
  
Dom snarled, opened his jaws and made to bite Minion in half. Minion twisted out of the way and landed a fierce tail whip across the dragon's snout. The grip on Minion's loosened just enough for the gargoyle like mutant to rip his hand free. The gargoyle flipped back as the dragon swiped at him with deadly claws.  
  
"He's too big." Luke said. "He moves to slowly against that Minion guy."  
  
Dom growled as he realized the same thing. Thinking quickly he blasted a jet of fire at Minion and then slapped his foe with his tail. As Minion went tumbling away Dom quickly began shifting forms to a smaller hippogriff with blue fur and black feathers. He leapt over to where Minion was getting up and with a snarl he kicked the mutant hard with both back feet, hooves digging into the gargoyle's chest.  
  
Then something unexpected happened. Almost as if air had been let out of him, Minion began deflating. One second he was over seven feet tall and the next he was Brody's size and considerably less muscular. Minion stumbled to his feet and glared hard at Dom, who was watching with fierce hazel eyes that promised no mercy. Minion growled angrily and quickly changed to his bulked up form again. He was done playing with the kid.  
  
"Those hits were free." Minion rumbled.  
  
Dom tensed and prepared for the attack which came quick and heavy. The gargoyle charged him and leaped over the paw swipe he aimed at his enemy. Dom grunted and stumbled back as a heavy punch busted a tooth loose. He didn't have time to recover before Minion lunged again, this time raking sharp claws across the hippogriff's eye. Dom drew back with a roar of pain and swung for his enemy, but Minion was too smart for that.  
  
"Now, comes the fun." The gargoyle growled as he moved to Dom's blind side.  
  
Dom started backing away, desperately trying to keep his aggressor in sight but Minion was quick and nimble. There would be a flash of red and then Minion would be out of sight again. That left the young mutant open to a flurry of attacks from deadly talons. Before Dom even knew what was happening he was bleeding heavily from wounds across his side, back, and chest not mention his eye.  
  
"Leave him alone you asshole! You've done enough damage!" Kyran shouted, banging against his cage.  
  
Minion smirked briefly at Kyran, then to add insult to injury he jumped onto Dom's back. The hippogriff growled and tried to grab him while also trying to buck him off, but Minion dug his talons into Dom's back and held on.  
  
"Yeeehaa, ride 'em cowboy!" Minion yelled tauntingly.  
  
"I'll show you cowboy." Dom snarled.  
  
Before Minion could think to do anything Dom hit the ground and rolled over, crushing the gargoyle against the floor. Minion gasped in pain and struggled to push the heavy weight off, but Dom wasn't budging. So, Minion did the only thing he could think of. He sank his fangs into Dom's back and shook viscously. His tactic worked, Dom rolled off but then turned around and pinned Minion to the floor with one big paw.  
  
"An eye for an eye." Dom growled. He swiped his claws across Minion's eye and listened to the mutant's shriek of pain.  
  
Suddenly Dom was returned to his human form and his ripped clothes were repaired as he floated into the air. Everyone looked to see a smirking Desor standing in the doorway. Dom was place back in his cage, still with all his injuries while Desor escorted Minion out of the room. Just before he left Minion shot Dom a hate filled look that promised revenge. The door snapped shut with a click.  
  
"Dom, are you hurt bad?" Jesse asked, he too had been mostly quiet during their imprisonment.  
  
"Nothing Willy can't heal." Dom replied. He grinned and produced a strangely familiar looking device from his pocket. "Besides, I managed to snag this while I had Minion pinned."  
  
"Is that...?" Kitty trailed off, fearing to even hope for a miracle.  
  
"Oh yeah, it's the device Desor gave to Minion to put me back in my cage." Dom said. "He didn't even think to check Minion for it."  
  
"That's great! Push that red button and let's get the hell out of here." Evan exclaimed.  
  
"No, not yet." Kyran said. "We need to wait for the opportune moment."  
  
"What if the opportune moment never comes?" Scott argued.  
  
"It will." Kyran said. "Be patient. We had to wait years for our opportune moment."  
  
////  
  
Ian shifted nervously under the angry glares of not only the youngest members of his team, but the New Mutants as well. But the most intimidating glare was the one coming from Logan. The young man was doing what he could to keep his eyes off the much older mutant.  
  
"Where have you been?" Logan demanded.  
  
"I had things to do." Ian replied. "I invited young Jamie here to come with me."  
  
"I got to groom horses!" Jamie exclaimed. "There was this really pretty horse named Snowfall and she let me groom her and it was soooo cool!"  
  
Logan shifted his glance down to Jamie. "That's all you did?"  
  
"Yeah, I got to watch Ian ride and helped with things. It was awesome."  
  
"You should have asked to take him with you." Logan growled at the twenty one year old.  
  
Ian rolled his eyes and pushed a hand through his greenish blue hair. "Aw, c'mon mate I didn't take him anywhere shonky. We just went to some horse stables. It's not like I took him to fencing classes with me. Besides, the little ankle biter hardly gets to do anything and I thought it was about time he got included in something."  
  
"Fine." Logan snarled. "There's more important things to deal with anyway. The X-men, Brotherhood, and a good number of the Hellraisers have been captured."  
  
"What? Why didn't you say so in the first place?" Ian exclaimed. "We've got to rescue them."  
  
Logan nodded. "Everyone suit up!"  
  
"Alright, action time!" Bobby exclaimed. 


	11. Chapter 10

Hideaway frowned as he noticed a few cameras were covered with ice. His eyes scanned a few more of the camera screens and saw nothing suspicious. The thirty-year-old mutant sighed and rubbed a hand through his shaggy brown hair. It was the third time the cameras had frozen over like that and each time it meant sending one of his comrades up to scrape the ice off.  
  
"What's the problem?"  
  
Hideaway spun his chair around to see a fairly young mutant by the name of Drifter standing in the doorway. "There's ice on some of the cameras again. Be a pal and go scrape it off."  
  
"Where's Crisscross, why don't you send him?" The teleporter asked with a sigh.  
  
"It's your turn."  
  
Drifter rolled his eyes. "Fine."  
  
Drifter closed his eyes a felt himself slip into what he called the travelverse. In it everything was slightly blurry and distorted. In that verse time had no meaning and he could move great distances without any time passing in the 'real world'. In the travelverse he could fly or phase through things while making sure he didn't return to the 'real world' trapped in something solid.  
  
He flew through the solid rock and over to the first of the iced cameras. There he slipped into the real world and moved to de-ice the camera. He heard movement and looked up just in time for something to smack him hard across the face and everything went black.  
  
Back in the security room Hideaway frowned as a long time passed and more cameras were covered by ice. He wondered just what the hell Drifter was doing. It shouldn't have taken the younger mutant that long to scrape ice off a few cameras.  
  
"Hideaway to Drifter, what the hell are you doing up there?" The mutant waited a minute. "Drifter, come in." When there was no response Hideaway frowned.  
  
"Problem?"  
  
Hideaway looked over his shoulder at Dark Hunter. The shapeshifter was leaning against the door in much the same place as Drifter had been.  
  
"Yeah, all the cameras are iced over again and Drifter isn't answering my calls." Hideaway explained.  
  
Dark Hunter nodded. "I'll grab Wind Warden and go see what's happening."  
  
"Good idea. Should I inform the boss?"  
  
"No, not yet." Dark Hunter replied. "He'd skin us if it was nothing. Dumb oaf probably caused an avalanche or something."  
  
With that Dark Hunter turned and went to find his friend. Wind Warden was the only mutant he had known before Desor showed up with his little offer. The two mutant had grown up together and discovered their abilities at the same time. They trusted only each other and no one else.  
  
He spotted his white haired friend preparing to enter the bedroom they shared. "Hey Windy, we've gotta go up top real quick."  
  
"Iced cameras again?" Wind Warden asked, looking over at his approaching friend. "The Prince sure chose a rotten place for a hidden base."  
  
"Tell me about it. Hideaway says Drifter went up to scrape off the cameras but hasn't come back." Dark Hunter replied.  
  
"Let's find Crisscross and have him give us a ride up there."  
  
"Yeah right, you ask Mr. Permanently on PMS."  
  
"Uh...I think we can go up the tunnel. We could use the workout."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
////  
  
"There's two more." Bobby whispered almost giddily. "Don't we get to fight any of them?"  
  
"No." Logan growled. "Just make sure that one's tied up nice and tight and hidden."  
  
Then he and Ian lunged out of their hiding places and surprised the two other mutants. The fight was quick as the ambushed mutants were too surprised to use their powers before they were knocked unconscious. With that task done the hidden New Mutants jumped out and began the task of tying up and hiding the two mutants with the other one.  
  
"They'll be suspicious after those two, mate. They'll send the rest of the dills up." Ian commented.  
  
"Let 'em. Without the cameras to know our positions we can surprise them." Logan replied.  
  
"I'm not so sure mate. What if the boss comes out? Pietro made him sound incredibly powerful."  
  
Logan snarled. "I'll handle that."  
  
////  
  
Quickswitch grunted as an enraged Marauder slammed him against the wall. He ducked a punch aimed at his head and rammed his shoulder against the older mutant's chest. The force of the blow sent Marauder stumbling back and that gave Quickswitch enough time to split into three of his forms to fight against Carnage, Marauder, and Smash.  
  
The rest of the mutants sat back to watch the impromptu fight. The cause of which was lost to everyone, but any reason for entertainment was good for them. Lockdown began taking bets on who would win as everyone began cheering for whomever they wanted to win.  
  
Jordan snarled as he faced off against a unique looking tiger/kangaroo that he was very tempted to call a tigeroo. The beast had the upper half of a tiger complete with teeth and claws while the lower half was a kangaroo complete with the powerful legs and tail. He found out just how powerful the legs were as the beat reared up on its hind legs, balanced on its tail, and kicked him clear across the room.  
  
Mick was faced with an equally unique alligator/horse. The beast was mostly horse with the head and tail of the gator. Mick swung his sledgehammer at the horsegator, but was surprise as in a quick flash the gator jaws snapped closed around the shaft of the hammer and yanked it out of his hands. He was still staring in shock when the beast reared on its hind legs and kicked him square in the chest.  
  
Smash was in full rhino mode when she saw she was facing a wolf/eagle. It was all wolf except for the majestic looking eagle wings that flared out of its back. She blinked at the half blurry sight, shook her head, and reverted back to human form. She threw up her hands in an I give up signal and went back to watch TV with the spectators.  
  
"Looks like Quickswitch wins and no one bet on him. What a shame." Lockdown said.  
  
Quickswitch grinned wolfishly, literally, as his part all recombined into one. He loved being able to split like that. It came in handy. The only difficult thing was having six instincts and personalities. He supposed it was probably something similar to multiple personality, except for all his personalities pretty much got along with each other and there were no new personalities waiting to emerge. At least, he didn't think there were. When his powers first manifested at the age of 12 he'd only gotten two animals, the wolf and tiger, but then he continued to gain new ones until he turn 18 at which time he ended up with six animals.  
  
"It's your turn to go check on the prisoners Quickswitch." Agony added in a bored tone. "Not like there's anything really to check."  
  
Quickswitch shrugged. "Whatever."  
  
As the youngest mutant of the "team" the others often bossed around Quickswitch, but he didn't let it bother him. He had the patience of a wolf, but the temper of a tiger when pushed. He could take the ribbing and bossiness because in the end he knew it didn't really matter. He wasn't really a member of the team. But they didn't need to know that.  
  
He entered the cage room, checked the halls briefly, before shutting the door and looking at the prisoners.  
  
"Reid!"  
  
Quickswitch looked over at Jesse and smiled. "Jesse, long time no see."  
  
"Where have you been all this time?" Luke asked.  
  
"Around. I escaped at the first jailbreak. As you can imagine my looks didn't go over well in the public. I was captured and put into a freak show at a circus until the metal controlling guy named Magneto rescued me."  
  
"Magneto? He's alive?" Scott exclaimed.  
  
Reid shrugged. "That was a while ago. He told me that he would ask for me to return the favor later and left me with some other mutants. Then this guy named Tas shows up and asks me to do him some kind of favor. He told me that his brother would be showing up to give me an offer and that I should accept it and be a spy. He asked me to make sure whatever mission Desor has fails."  
  
"What about Magneto?" Scott prodded.  
  
"Haven't seen him for a few months." Reid replied. He then looked down the aisle at Scott. "I don't know you, quit asking me questions punk."  
  
"Yeah, leave him alone Goggles, we haven't seen this kid in months." Kyran spoke up. "We thought you got executed."  
  
"Nope, when they took me out of the unit they took me to another section where they did a lot of experimenting on me. I think they were trying to figure out if they could trigger more animals or something, but then the jailbreak happened and at first I tried to get back to you guys, but things got so out of hand I ended up just helping a bunch of younger kids get out and to safety." Reid explained.  
  
"More animals huh, like six isn't enough." Chailyn said.  
  
"You're telling me." Reid grumbled. "You try dealing with the conflicting instincts of predator and prey animals. Not to mention always looking different each time I separate and recombine."  
  
"Did you see Adam?" Taylon asked.  
  
Reid nodded. "Yup, but I can't exactly talk about that."  
  
"Oh." Taylon slumped back in disappointment.  
  
Reid stared at the younger boy for a moment. The pup is upset. The wolf part of his brain concluded. He misses his pack brother.  
  
Reid shook his head and shifted his attention to a cage a little ways down the aisle. He smiled as he saw Reece and went over the younger mutant's cage. His smile turned to a small frown as he saw tears in Reece's eyes. It was no secret that the two had something going before Reid was taken away.  
  
"Hey kid, miss me?"  
  
Reece nodded frantically and began signing. Reid was the only one of them that understood Reece's version of sign language.  
  
"Slow down you're going too fast." Reid said with a small laugh. Though no one else knew what the ever-silent mutant was signing, they could tell it was something special as tears formed in Reid's dark green eyes. "I know. A lot of things didn't get said. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere this time."  
  
"All mutants report to the security room." Hideaway boomed over the intercom.  
  
Reid frowned. "Uh oh. He's never used that before. Someone's either in big trouble or we've got company."  
  
"Are you going to help us escape?" Luke asked.  
  
"No, I'm going to leave my friends here to rot." Reid replied sarcastically. He looked right into Reece's big brown eyes. "Don't worry, I'll be back this time."  
  
"Don't bother we'll find you." Dom spoke up.  
  
Reid shot the young mutant a curious look, then grinned when he saw the device in Dom's hands. "You sneaky thief you. And here Minion was going mad trying to find it without letting Desor know it's missing."  
  
"You'd better go before---."  
  
Kyran was cut off as the door snapped open and Adam looked in. "C'mon Reid, Hideaway is freaking out about something and I think it might be time."  
  
"Already?"  
  
"Yup, Toad's grabbing Yale. I think---."  
  
"Intruders!" The shout rang over the intercom.  
  
"Oh yeah, it's time to rumble." Reid exclaimed. "You go help Toad. I'll make sure these guys get away."  
  
"Right. We'll find you guys." Adam agreed and then he disappeared out of the door.  
  
The sound of fighting from the hall seemed to make Reid drool before he disappeared out of the door. Dom shot a questioning look at Kyran, who nodded in response. The young shapeshifter pushed the red button on the device and grinned as the cages all disappeared. Kyran grabbed Pietro and covered him with the shadow armor and then followed the rest of the stampeding mutants toward the door. In the hall they found it clogged with fallen bodies and there was still a brutal fight going on down the way.  
  
It looked like the New Mutants and a few of Hellraisers were getting forced back until Quickswitch attacked his ex-teammates from behind. Marauder, Carnage, and Lockdown were knocked out before anyone figured out what was happening. That's when the enemy realized they were sandwiched between two groups of angry mutants. The fight was over in seconds.  
  
There was a quick reunion between the teams before Scott and Kyran switched to leader mode.  
  
"Kurt, port who you can to the surface." Scott ordered. He looked toward the New Mutants. "You guys lead the way out of here. Let's move quick, we don't want to have a run in with that Desor guy."  
  
"Where's Wolverine?" Kitty asked.  
  
"Don't know, he split off from the group when we charged in here." Ian replied. "Told us to just get you guys out of here."  
  
"I like that idea." Kyran said. "No more talking let's get the hell out of here."  
  
////  
  
Desor frowned as he watched everything that was happening on his view screen. He growled and stood to do something when a snickering from behind him caught his attention. The Prince spun around to glare at his youngest brother as everything suddenly made sense to him.  
  
"Tas you cheating asshole." Desor snarled. "I know you're behind this somehow."  
  
The younger prince smirked. "Please, your arrogance was your downfall. Besides, I only planted one spy among your mutant team."  
  
"Quickswitch." Desor growled.  
  
"Yes, but then you foolishly let that Quicksilver kid call for help and you actually believe Toad and Tartarus would betray their friends." Tas sneered. "I shudder to think you'll take Father's place as emperor some day."  
  
"And where is Kar'ok? Did he sabotage my plan as well?"  
  
"Nope, he's busy on a different planet. Ran into some resistance there." Tas explained. "But I knew this planet would be the key to conquering the rest of the universe. So I decided to undermine your plan wherever I could so that you didn't fuck this world up too much."  
  
"You little upstart!"  
  
Tas grinned. "Oh, be serious. Surely you see the significance of these mutants and their powers. Why have them destroy themselves in a war against the humans? I have much bigger plans for them."  
  
"I hate Earth, in every dimension it exists. There's always some unbeatable force on Earth. If it's not those damn Power Rangers, then it's these mutants, or Transformers." Desor snarled. "You have your fun with these mutants, but don't come crying to me when you get your ass kicked. I'm done with this stupid bet. Better to fight the enemy you know."  
  
"Yes, run back to Grandfather and Father and their hopeless crusade to conquer Earth." Tas sneered and ran a hand through his short black hair. "I'm going to have fun here. I've got my eye on a few of those mutants."  
  
"Do what you want. At the end of the day I'll still be the one who will be Emperor."  
  
Desor disappeared in a brief flash of light. Tas stalked over to the viewscreen and grinned. Things were about to get a whole lot more complicated for the mutants of Earth. 


End file.
